Incongruous Recurrence
by Lowknave
Summary: Set years after The War of the Ember. Much has changed in the world of Ga'Hoole, yet some of it . . . is bound to stay the same. In what way it stays the same, however, is the real question.
1. A Whole New World

**A/N: Why hello there! As I've stated before, this is the first (and last!) restart of this series. Now, I had planned on releasing this first chapter on the seventeenth of this month, however, I ran into some issues and had to postpone that to a later date. My new, revised deadline was to be the twenty-third of this month, and I think I did a good job of not taking any longer than that. Further updates should normally be done in a one to two week basis. Now before I get into anything else, I must think all of you—and I mean everyone, for the feedback, patience, and sympathy I have received over this story. Now I only wish others would come back from the dead and start writing as well, but alas, I can only control my actions and not their own. There's a lot I want to say, but at the same time, I don't want to make this Author's Note any longer than it already is...**

 **So, in good faith, next chapter, I'll respond to any reviews I may come across. These responses will not nearly be as big as the ones some of you may remember. But I think they'll be big enough to satisfy those of you that review while being small to not fill the entire page in black text. In any case, I'll also usually respond to any reviewer VIA PM, but consider this method to be a secondary option (actually, I haven't been able to send private messages lately, sorry for that guys).**

 **So that's all I got to say. I'm thinking of new things to do in the Authors Note that won't take up much space. Currently, I'm thinking about doing some speculation on certain questions at the end of the chapter but I don't know yet, let me know if y'all want anything in particular. Anyhow, I hope to hear from you guys soon!**

 ***Note: As of the 6/22/2017, all reviews prior to this point are towards the initial version of this story. For those who have reviewed those chapters, there may be some difficult creating a new review for these new chapters. As such, I figured to let you all know that before throwing this at you so beware. Guest reviews and those who haven't already reviewed the individual chapter number are likely to be unaffected. Take care!***

 **(Also as a reminder, this story is technically alternative universe, as it does not follow the canon events that happened during the Wolves of the Beyond series. In my opinion, the last part of the true canon series should have ended during the last book of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. Thus, this story reflects that sentiment, just so you know!)**

 _Incongruous_ _Recurrence_

 **Act I :** _Tabula rasa_

* * *

" _Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."_

~ Nelson Mandela

* * *

 **Chapter One**

 _A Whole New World_

Amalgamated between the marshy landscape of Ambala to the north and the temperate forest of Tyto to the south, lies a grossly familiar kind of tree standing immensely above every other tree in the entire region. An ostensibly natural wonder to behold, and a sight one could not avoid to observe even if they tried. Many would have expected the tree to have grown spontaneously, without a reason or purpose; however, nothing was further from the truth. This magnificent tree, was yet another Great Ga'Hoole tree made from the very seed of the original—the same exact tree that lays unchanged on a island in the middle of the Sea of Hoolemere. The chosen location for this new, equally impressive Great Ga'Hoole Tree, was no fluke either.

With the Northern Kingdoms too dry and cold and the Middle Kingdoms too far and isolated, the most logical choice remaining for a new Great Tree location would be in the continent of S'yrthghar, otherwise known as the Southern Kingdoms. While the Sea of Hoolemere is technically within reach of the Southern Kingdoms, it is still too far away to be considered apart of the continent itself; henceforth, the reasoning behind the new location.

This new Great Ga'Hoole tree—locally named as the _Gateway to Hoole_ —is still shrouded in mystery regarding its creation. Circulative rumors and folktales had once said a Great Tree could only grow once it comes into contact with tears from an embered king. Of course, fictitious legends and myths hold little bearing when contradicted by clear evidence that bust the original theory.

To the southeast, the River of Hoole flows into the Kingdom of Tyto; but just before that, to the northeast, there is an inlet connected to the Sea of Hoolemere (acting as a natural border to several states in the region). This inlet, oftentimes serves as a crucial navigational checkpoint for many owls of all likes, especially to those that lack the skill to track down the location quickly. This—just like the tree's location—is also not coincidental.

. . . It is, after all, named the Gateway to Hoole for a reason.

Now, during these crisp, early hours of dusk. The wind, light and undefined, would prove to be a comfortable experience for any novice fliers who wished to venture out into the limitless skies of the Southern Kingdoms. Something that many looked forward to, now that spring was finally upon them, and the first leaves were starting to sprout from their priorly dormant state. Although the winter itself was insignificant, it still was commonly accepted as an yearly annoyance due to the general lack of thermals and scarce food supply.

Despite these early hours, an owl, a particularly young one at that, had arrived to his destination, the Gateway to Hoole. Being a first-time visit, the view he saw was astonishing to say the least. The sky was blazing in a wide spectrum of vibrant colors ranging from orange to purple. The bark of the colossal tree seemed to shine intensely under the sun's rays, the glare was almost as powerful as looking at the sun itself. He couldn't comprehend it all, it was too much to take in all at once, he could only stare in wonder.

The owl's feathers were just as glossy as the tree itself, his plumage was nearly entirely of a dark brown mix with certain areas of the body such as the facial disk appearing lighter than others, his wings and underbelly sparkled with numerous white dots and slashes that interfused to create a rather recognizable pattern. His eyes, almost as dark as the night itself, reflected the glow of the tree perfectly. These characteristics, clearly made him out to be a Spotted owl, one of the more common owl species in the region. For someone as small as he was though, one could have mistaken him for an adult Whiskered Screech owl!

Upon arrival, he was intercepted, questioned, then subsequently escorted by daytime sentries to one of the many landing branches near the lower section of the tree. The whole ordeal was more unnerving than he had expected, the guards had been quite circumspective on his arrival. For someone of his tender age, he would have anticipated a warm welcome; of course, coming in at such a time of day could be seen as—odd, to some. He placed that blame on his poor navigational ability, it took him hours to just find the inlet leading to the tree itself!

He did admit, however, that with his general lack of knowledge, he was surprised to even have found the tree at all.

After being directed to one of the main entrances to the rather quiet, unmoving tree. The sentries had stated that they would be back with him shortly. For what reason or purpose however, remained lost to him. All he could do now was wait, as he didn't have the confidence to ask a single question to the owls that had almost literally interrogated him for answers. At this point, as the night began to set in, the tree's inhabitants began to grow active; with it, a unsettling feeling began to stir in his gizzard. How long had it been since they had left?

 _What if someone comes out here and thinks I'm an intruder?_ He thought grimly to himself. He could already tell his first night at the tree was going to be a tough one . . . assuming, of course, he even was accepted into the tree in the first place.

Finally, a particularly muscular Brown fish owl approached him. The owl's sheer size and matured age made him appear intimidating at first, but his amiable smile and passive posture was convincing enough to leave behind such fears. His effortless strides showed that he was an avid walker, much like a Burrowing owl, perhaps his job has him walking more than flying. But, given how strong his wings appeared to be, such an accusation was hard to justify.

The Brown fish owl stopped and looked down upon his smaller companion, studying the details of his new apprentice. Gazing around the Spotted owl's small form, looking for any marks or items of interest, he seemed to have noticed something when inspecting the Spotted owl's back. There was a moment of pause for the larger owl, there was something he found odd about this new arrival. He clicked his beak in complexion for a moment. The sounds of the growing activity in the background seemed to have unsettled the Brown fish owl momentarily, before he focused his attention back to the young owl below him.

He started off with a simple introductory questions. "A newcomer, eh? Must've been a long flight here I'd reckon?" His voice was deep and melodious, fitting for an owl of his size.

The younger owl, still not confident enough to speak, simply nodded his head in response. The larger owl could see the Spotted owl's eyes were poised and alert but not looking directly at his own. His feathers were stiff and unmoving as well, he even appeared to be shaking at times. The Brown fish owl simply sighed, anything to get this youngling talking would be a good starting point for introducing him to the tree.

He started with an easier question, "So where you from, lad?"

The Spotted owl's eyes flicked up at the larger owl's for a moment, before settling back down at his previous level, studying the talons of the greeter.

"Ambala." His voice was faint, a mouse squeaking would have been louder in comparison.

"Ambala!? Well how about that! I happen to come from there as well! You're the first young newcomer from Ambala I've seen in weeks, the only other owls I've come across that are from Ambala are older than Hortense herself!" He chuckled rashly, though it did seem to perk up the newcomer enough to cast aside his shyness for a moment.

As one would expect, the Brown fish owl already knew this information from what the sentries had gotten out of the kid earlier. But he thought this conversation could help relate to the lonesome Spotted owl, and it seemed to be working.

Without a response from the younger owl, he continued where he had previously left off, "Ah, yes, Ambala is a wonderful place with a community that looks after their own."

The Brown fish owl gave an assuring nod, signaling he was to follow that rule to the letter, then added, "Name's Jedrek by the way, and yourself?"

"Aedan, Strix Aedan."

"Ooh, the formalities!" Jedrek exaggerated boastfully; there was a hint of teasing in his voice, "I like that in an owl, especially those who are prideful of their heritage—is your family aristocratic?"

"I guess you can say that." Aedan responded simply.

Jedrek hesitated for a moment, before responding rather assertively, "Well, if I were to have such formalities, I guess you could call me _Lieutenant_ Jederk."

He seemed to let the new title settle in, before adding.

"As a Brown fish owl, I started off from the bottom and worked my way up. So people now respect me based off my rank, not my heritage. You see how that works? Someone's character and path isn't defined by birth, it is defined while living and the actions you make while you're living. Am I wrong?"

 _Well in the case of my birth, you are wrong, "Lieutenant" Jederk._ Aedan thought

There was another period of silence, so Jederk decided to continue on with his inquiry, leaving behind the prior discussion. "So I noticed that you arrived here all by yourself without anyone to help you. Quite an amazing feat if you ask me, you must be a natural navigator!"

Aedan chuckled nervously, "Well, umm . . . yeah, I guess you can say that."

"Most owls of your age arrive with their parents, I take it that they were confident in your ability to get here? Your parents must be awfully proud of you." Jederk's question was met with a blunt response.

"My parents are dead."

Jedrek's eyes stayed put on Aedan's, there was a moment of shock and disbelief in his expression. He just didn't know how to respond to the poor owl.

Aedan explained, "I lived with my aunt and uncle since I was an owlet, they never really cared for me. I was nothing more than a thorn to their side, so they threw me out, sent me here to try to find something to do with my life. I guess that's where my 'formalities' got me, huh?"

Darkness began to creep in as the last fade of sunlight wore out. The commotion inside the tree grew louder and louder. There was singing, talking, and yelling in a frenzy of hoots and voices. Soon the inhabitants will be proceeding with their normal schedules, undeterred by anything the night may throw at them.

Jedrek only sighed in pity, before gesturing with his wing to follow him, they slowly proceed to enter the massive tree itself through one of the many corridors. It was hard for him to describe such walkways, he lacked the proper knowledge and vocabulary to describe them. Though, he did notice some candles illuminate certain portions of the corridor.

"Hmm, was your father apart of the military?" Aedan nodded his head slowly, wondering why Jedrek was asking such questions.

"Did you happen to know his name, by chance?"

"I don't exactly remember, my aunt mentioned him a couple of times. I think it's Dru—Drusus?"

For some reason, upon hearing the name, Jedrek wilfed to nearly half his former size. His eyes were wide and motionless, his forward movement suddenly halted briefly, and he turned his head back towards Aedan, taking a look at him again, before starting to walk once more. He began to speak more cautiously, his voice no longer held that bitter-sweet tone, now it was serious and direct. Aedan didn't quite understand why he reacted in such a way. Maybe he knew him once?

"I'm sorry for your loss . . . now, Aedan," he paused again, stopping his progression towards his previous destination, "what is it you wish to accomplish here? Do you have any goals in mind?"

The question seemed to have caught Aedan off guard, he wasn't quite sure how to respond to it.

"I—I can't say."

Jedrek's eyes narrowed, he asked slowly with a hint of irritation, "You don't know or you don't want to say?"

Aedan gulped, it felt like he was being interrogated again by those sentries. "Well, I've always wanted to study everything about the 'Others', you know? Those long gone two-legged creatures? Though, I'm not too sure if that's exactly an area that even the Gateway to Hoole offers to study."

Jedrek observed Aedan carefully once again, there really was something odd about this owl. It wasn't just his gizzard giving this vibe, it was everything about Aedan he saw. His demeanor, interest, and background were all red flags to him. Sure, there was an owlet or two that stuck out from the rest, but this one wasn't like the others. There was much more going on behind the scenes that he wasn't aware about, and he didn't even have to sense it to know it. It will take some time to truly unravel the full story behind this newcomer, but for now, it was only best to set him the right direction.

They had been walking for a good while now, and the sprawling voices of the tree's populace were getting louder and louder. Aedan was hardly paying attention to it, he was too focused on following the instructor, worried he may possibly get lost in the narrow corridors of the tree.

"Well, if you want my advice lad," he started off bluntly, but not rudely, "if you're not entirely sure you know where you want to end up, take an introductory course into Guardian training. It's interesting, teaches you a lot of useful skills, and opens up the possibility of living here as a sponsored Guardian; and . . ." He thought about briefly, before adding,

". . . if you're exemplary in your training, you could possibly get accepted into _real_ training at the actual Great Tree itself, to become a real Guardian. Then—and this is only a possibility—you could start doing your 'research' there with all the resources you could ever need."

Aedan seemed to awe at the idea, but it sounded far easier said than done. To this point, however, any plan was better than nothing at all. But doubt still settled in, to become a Guardian, he assumed it would require his full commitment to the training programs offered. For how long it would take, would it be worth the wait and effort?

Now in a particularly crowded portion of the tree, the corridor opened up to a large hollow of sorts that Aedan could only describe to be as a kitchen. Many owls gathered to grab their early meals, while others socialized and laughed in the company of others.

Jedrek finally came to a halt in the middle of the hollow, the area was now being filled by fresh arrivals and the volume of voices grew louder in intensity.

He turned to Aedan and said, "Of course, you could also always look into starting your career in the Ambalian military, like your father. Take some courses here, maybe look into some leadership programs, and perhaps maybe you could become a _Corporal_ Strix Aedan. What is more, if you hook up with me, you could even be a _Sergeant_ Strix Aedan, am I right?" He winked in a joking manner, though the statement hardly seemed satirical in nature.

"Of course, sir. Now what about—" before Aedan could ask, Jedrek vanished into the crowd. Probably off to attend his other duties.

This was a problem, as Aedan looked around, he was swarmed by the mass of owls arriving into the hollow. To put it simply, he was lost, and did not know where he was or where to go. Was he suppose to know where to go? Did he miss out on a crucial piece of information he should have picked up? Was Jedrek testing him?

He tried not to panic, he was notorious for making a lot of stupid mistakes when under pressure. There was no reason to get worked up over this, he reasoned, as all he had to do was ask a local where this "introductory course" is, and get to it as soon as possible.

He took a deep breath, and approached a trio of Northern Saw-whet owls, they were walking out of the front most corridor of the hollow. They were likely related to each other, and were looking for a meal. They didn't look to be in a hurry, so he thought they would be the perfect group to ask for such instructions.

"Excuse me," he started off sheepishly, hoping they would be understanding of his current predicament, "do any of you know where I could find the introductory training hollow to become a Guardian?" They only looked at him, a mix of confusion and amusement filled their faces.

Then they bursted out laughing, before proceeding to carry on to whatever location they wished to go to. He sighed, he would have thought the owls at a tree like this would have been more forgiving to a newbie like himself. Maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as he had originally thought. But before he tried to ask anyone else, an old voice called out to him gruffly.

"Psst, kid!" Aedan looked towards the owl only to look away momentarily in shock.

It was an old Lesser Sooty owl, but it was extremely hard to tell it was even a Sooty owl at all as, his face was badly mutilated with scars gashing out from every corner of its face. The most horrifying was one that came across where one his eyes once was. It was amazing to believe this owl was still alive even after taking so much injuries in the past. For such an old owl, it must not be at all surprising to the locals, as no one even cast an eye towards him.

Adean approached the Sooty slowly, avoiding to look directly at the scars. Luckily, it seems the old owl was in no rush, and was patiently waiting for him to get close enough to hear what he had to say.

Once close enough to hear him clearly, the Sooty said, "Take the corridor to your right, it'll be the seventh hollow on your left. Got it?"

Aedan nodded his head quickly and grew a soft smirk, "Yes, thank you very much sir!"

"Don't mention it." Was all the old owl said as Aedan ran off, before he started scanning the crowd again, listening in with absolute precision about what some owls were saying despite all the clutter.

* * *

Following the directions given, Aedan came across the hollow he was directed to. Peeking his head inside the hollow, nearly a dozen owls were occupying the back area. The instructor in the front of the hollow, was the first to take notice to his presence. There was a moment of hesitation between him and the instructor

At first, he thought he was in the wrong hollow, and was about to proceed out of the area.

But the instructor, a Long-eared owl, called out to him before he did, "You're in the right hollow dear." She clarified, though it seemed strange to Aedan on how she knew this was the hollow he was looking for.

"Oh, alright." He said meekly, feeling the eyes from everyone in the hollow now staring right into his soul.

Slowly joining everyone else in the back of the hollow, all of whom were standing and arranged in a linear fashion from left to right. He took up his spot at the rightmost section of the line, with a rather large Great horned owl to his left. It seemed rather awkward to him, why haven't they started the lesson? Were they waiting for him to arrive? Were they really going to stand here like this the entire night? There were so many questions, it seemed he hardly noticed any of the details of the hollow, such as the large map against the wall behind where the instructor stood.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the teacher began to give her introduction to the class.

"For any newcomers here," the teacher looked directly at Aedan for a fleeting moment, "my name is Madelyn, and I will be your teacher for the next week." Her voice was pale, with no particular tone or noticeable emotion.

"Tonight, we will be starting off with some basic history and geography of the Southern Kingdoms after _The War of the Ember_."

She proceeded to pick up a narrow stick with her talons, "Now, students, can anyone tell me which kingdom this is?" She pointed at at a marked area near the middle of the map. To Aedan, it was an easy answer.

He raised his wing, hoping to be called on for the answer. Madelyn noticed instantly, and responded.

"Oh, yes . . . um—"

"My name's Aedan, and uh . . . the kingdom you are pointing at is the Kingdom of Ambala."

"Indeed you are right, Aedan." She said the name sharply, as to click it into her memory.

"Now, the reason why I started with Ambala is because of its history. Without Ambala, the Southern Kingdoms would have looked a lot different than it does today."

The only thing Aedan had over the others was a superb knowledge of his home state. He had learned all about Ambala when he was a owlet. He could name every important hero it has ever produced in the legends, and he could fill in nearly every question about its history since the times of Coryn. It was indeed, an important place when it came to shaping the history of the continent.

Ambala is most well known in the legends for its unified community and its great struggles with renown evil ideologies such as the owlnappings of St. Aegolius and the fanatical uprisings caused by the Striga. The community at the time had realized early on, that to face such threats, they must unite and cooperate to oppose such wrongdoings—with, or without the Guardians. Heros, such as Hortense and the Green owls of Ambala, were the symbol of their unification and common interest. In times of great need, it was the Ambalians that had come to save the day, even when the Guardians themselves were facing total annihilation both in foreign affairs and domestically when Coryn fell into the influence of the Striga.

Their unity, perseverance, and history quickly sparked the idea of having their own, recognized kingdom with an actual king and queen, as well as a locally created army. Following the fall of the Pure Ones and the death of Coryn, the new king of the Great Tree, Soren; recognizing the countless favors given by the owls of Ambala, accepted the terms made by Ambalians and quickly appointed a king and queen to lead their new kingdom. Or at least, this is the simplified nature of it that Aedan knows full-well about.

There was more to it than just the Ambalians asking for their own regional power. Owls that spent most of their nights at The Brad, or the living library, suddenly found it their responsibility to guide the owls of Ambala to a new destiny. For the longest of time, this idea of a new metaphorical "Guardians of S'yrthghar" has long lingered in the minds of the Ambalians. The role of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole seemed to grow out obsolete, and they believed their new presence should reflect this thinking on the continent. Added with memories of the Guardians siding with the very enemies they swore to destroy, and the many cases of Guardian instability, the Ambalians since the beginning days, had tried to shift away from the Guardians sphere of influence.

Of course, to a young mind like Aedan's, this hardly meant anything to such a degree as it stands now. What he didn't know, was that due to this very struggle for power, the last of the recognized powers, the Gateway to Hoole, the Kingdom of Tyto, and the Kingdom of Silverveil were all created to keep Ambala in check. But since those simple times during the age of Coryn, things have gotten far more complicated in the grand scheme of things.

Ambala-then and Ambala-now is far different than those in the past would have imagined. Ambala was no longer a cherishable example of Guardian sponsorship and generosity. Ambala has expanded well beyond its simplistic goals of a representative nation-state. Owls who were once living there—even if they just wanted a simple lifestyle—were indoctrinated into the kingdom, establishing the core of its population. Goods and services such as blacksmithing and craftsmanship were centralized by the kingdom to stabilize and maintain required production of materials and create a primitive economy. It's military quickly and secretly expanded from a self-defense militia appointed by Guardian advisors, to a full-fledged army with numerous divisions under its command and with officers that had been training with the same standards and lessons as the Guardians themselves.

The Ambalians were know on equal terms with the Great Tree of Ga'Hoole itself.

With these factors, the Ambalians had tried to go beyond their natural borders. Their first ambitions laid on the inhabitants of Tyto Forest, however, this was not to be in their favor. They, recognizing the Ambalian creeping expansions, requested their own autonomous state. The Guardians, for their own reasons, accepted the request. The relationship between Ambala and Tyto since then has always been brittle.

Aedan could go on thinking about how things changed, it seemed almost as if it was a whole new world since the legends of Coryn. And to think, of relatively peaceful it was now? How greatful many must be, to not go through what horrors there was during those Glaux awful times. There wasn't ever a moment where Aedan payed too much attention to anything. The floor, for example, he could describe it in his mind with great detail if he wanted to. But why bother? This floor wasn't important, nor the people, not even the Gateway to Hoole itself.

From his standpoint on the world, such details were irrelevant. He always did like the idea of a simple life, something where he didn't have to think too much about anything. Though, such a lifestyle is impossible to achieve in today's world. But he still tried nevertheless, perhaps he could get to that point if he got through this class. Anything's possible, after all.

Aedan slowly returned back to reality, the teacher was still droning on about Ambala and its history. Remarking about something regarding Ambala's responsibility of occupying St. Aegolius after the War of the Ember. Despite that, he noticed the Great horned owl next to him was mumbling incomprehensibly to himself. Aedan, for whatever reason, decided to look directly at him to see what that was about.

Feeling Aedan's stare, the Great horned turned to him and asked with mild irritation, "Well whatcha you looking at, mate?"

Aedan shook his head quickly and responded, "Oh, nothing . . . sorry."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." He remarked in a raspy voice.

A Barn owl near the middle of the line popped its head out from the rest of the group, towards the Great horned, and said, "Favian knock it off, give the kid some slack!"

Her voice was authoritative but well-intended, a gifted speaker in Aedan's eyes.

The Great horned, whose name has been revealed to be Favian, scoffed then replied, "Alright, alright, I'll leave him alone."

They returned their attention to the teacher, who to this point, hasn't payed any mind to the talking between the students.

Due to this, Favian got Aedan's attention, and clarified on something. "I don't know about you, but I can't stand listening to this go on. It's just boring, you know? I just want to get into real topics like blacksmithing, that'd be a good lesson . . ."

"Or Ga'Hoology," piped in a Spotted owl, not much older than Aedan himself, "I personally think that would be a better class than blacksmithing."

Favian puffed up in agitation, "Oi, frink off you tree-loving twat! I swear to Glaux, Vaughn, I'll tear your face off if—"

"Hey, keep it down. Some of the new ones are trying to listen." that same female Barn owl asserted. Her maturity was reflected by her age. She was older than most of them, but not nearly old enough to be considered a fully matured owl.

Aedan hadn't been listening to the lecture since the beginning, in fact, he was growing a smile from the quarrel the two owls were just having. Though, he did suppose there could have been other owls in the group that were trying to listen. So he, along with the others, tried focusing on what the teacher was saying again. But throughout the time spent there, those two owls wouldn't stop arguing about which topic is better.

* * *

The class lecture finally came to an end, and they were dismissed under the instructions to review what they've learned about the Kingdom of Ambala. By the end of the class, Aedan's short contact with Favian has now turned into a acquaintance-level friendship. The same holds true with the other Spotted owl, Vaughn, but not nearly to a similar level as it is with Favian. Another owl he came to meet was Vara, one of the other female Barn owls of the class. Though, their conversation was far more brief than the others.

Vara was perhaps the most quiet out of the three, Aedan noticed. She always had a wandering eye during the entire conversation. Always looking out for who was speaking and what they were doing. She also seemed to study the left-side of the group more often than the right, where Aedan was. There was always something over there that caught her eye, but Aedan just couldn't tell what it was. Besides that, she had a nice, calm voice that wasn't unpleasing to hear. Like the other Barn owl, she was older than the rest, if not the oldest besides the teacher.

Now the first one outside of the hollow, Aedan wasn't sure where to go to now and was hesitant about asking for any directions, remembering what had happened last time. No one was rushing or seemed to be going to any particular place, some were talking, others were not. When it all seemed clear, he decided to turn around and go the other way. However, he didn't notice someone was coming out of the hollow until it was too late. They pumped into each other, causing the other owl to drop something out of his satchel he carried. A book from the looks of it.

The two crossed eyes, the other owl was a Barn owl, the last of the three in the class. Unlike the other two Barn owls, he was a lot smaller and younger than them, but at around the same age as Aedan. His face was also far whiter than normal and seemed to glow in the candlelight. The Barn was stunned momentarily, as Aedan quickly stuttered a response.

"Oh I—I'm deeply sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going. I should have known better."

The Barn owl quickly picked up the book and put it back in the satchel, before replying, "It's quite alright, mistakes happen, it's nothing to fret about."

Then the Barn owl left hurriedly, going down the corridor with extreme care. Aedan only watched curriously, wondering what exactly was going on with that Barn owl.

"Odd one, isn't he?" A voice said from behind him.

Aedan turned his head quickly and was relieved to see it that Barn owl. The one that had told Favian to give him a break. She always had that confident, assuring smile when talking to someone, something that wasn't present on most of the owls in the class at the time.

She continued, "He's actually like you, he's a newtimer here, but unlike him, you actually talk." She laughed softly, there was something convincing about how she laughed. It didn't seem forced or harmful, it just came out perfectly.

"Oh how rude of me," she realized, "my name, if you're wondering, is Kolina. I'm sure you've been wondering about that the whole night."

Aedan laughed, "Yeah, and my name is—"

"Oh that's not necessary, Aedan, Favian already told me a lot about you. The quiet Spotted owl that actually isn't annoying, he says he likes you better than the other one."

"Oh . . ." Aedan didn't know how to respond to that. They only just met, he was surprised to hear he made such a good impression to that Great horned owl. The thought about what to next slowly started to make its way back into his mind again.

"Anyways, you look like you want to ask something. I could tell, as you were standing outside of the hollow pensively."

Aedan was a little weirded out about how she had spotted his dilemma so quickly. But, he could tell she was the caring type. Not like those owls he saw earlier when asking for directions.

"Well . . . yes, I'm not actually sure where to go now. Like, um . . . where will I sleep for the day?"

The question seemed to come off not exactly the way Aedan had wanted it, but it seemed well received to Kolina.

"Ah, I see your problem now. The easiest thing to do is go out to the library and study during your free time. Or, you could hang out with us, and get to know some of us better." Both offers seemed like good ideas to Aedan, but he still wasn't fully sure of what to do just yet.

"As for where to sleep, I suppose that means you can't just fly out of here and go home, can you?" She asked.

Aedan shook his head, he didn't have a home now since his aunt had kicked him out.

"Well," she said slowly, "I guess you could sleep in our hollow, there's enough room for another nest, and I'm sure the others wouldn't' mind."

"Others?" Aedan repeated.

"You know, the other owls you've met? Favian, Vaughn, me, and Vara. We all sleep in the same hollow, we don't have anywhere else to go so we share the one the administration gave to us. I'm sure you'll come to like it." Her offer was again satisfying to Aedan, it seemed to be the easier route than looking for one himself.

"If you can do that, I would be very grateful."

"Of course," she said modestly, "if you ever need any help with anything, just ask me." She began to walk away towards the kitchen Aedan had arrived from when he first got here.

She stopped when she noticed he wasn't following her, and turned around to say. "Well? You coming or what? I'm sure you haven't eaten all night, and you probably want to get to know our friends more before you show up in there hollow."

Aedan nodded and quickly caught up with her just before she exited the corridor. The rest of his night would proceed rather smoothly for the most part, and this was only because of Kolina's guidance. Without her, he sure would have been in a tougher spot when it came to the other owls and figuring out what to do. Her charisma and high-spirits made the night much better for everyone. And now, he had a hollow to sleep in, friends, and almost a literal guardian.

 _What more could I have asked for?_ He thought smugly to himself.

However, all of this was to be only temporary . . .


	2. Questions Left Unanswered

**A/N: Guess what time it is? Yep, another update! I know it may of seemed like a long time since I last started, but it was only about ten days since I last updated, and honestly . . . I think that's a good rate to update this story without rushing me or taking too long. So to make this short, I thank those of you that have reviewed me thus far (you guys are awesome!) as well as the people who favorite and followed the story. I know I may be inconsistent sometimes, but I do my best to give you guys what you want and when you want it. As always, feel free to leave a review if you desire, and I'll be active for about several days before likely falling silent again. The lack of stuff to do on FanFiction and an active life makes staying on here hard you know? Anyhow, onto the story.**

 **Oh, I guess it's best to add that I had planned to make a collection (or an info dump) on the forums regarding everything to do with Guardians of Ga'Hoole. The entry would consist of speculation, theories, and detailed observations of each of the book series and the contents within it. However, at the moment, I haven't made any progress on it. So I was wondering what you guys think? Probably better to stick with this eh?**

 **Lastly, I know I keep saying this: but I don't mind any kind of suggestions, criticism, or speculations. In fact, I want people to engage in dialogue as we're all here for a very similar reason, which is to see different ideas about the GoGH series and share our thoughts about it. That's all I'll add! I promise!**

 **. . . Oh . . . and I did update the last chapter for a minor error (credit goes to Ethan576).**

 **Please don't kill me . . . !**

* * *

" _The truth is you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed."_

~ Eminem

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

 _Questions Left Unanswered_

Aedan quickly inhaled and exhaled numerous wavering breaths as he proceeded to stand poised and alert. Stuck deep inside a hollow within the upper part of the Great Tree of S'yrthghar, he could still feel the apprehensive afternoon heat sink into the very hollow he was sleeping in. The others, who the previous night had accepted his request for a place to reside, seemed to hardly mind the humid conditions while entranced in their slumber. None of them were disturbed by the relatively shooken up Aedan either. His breaths periodically, would begin to calm down as the seconds turned into minutes.

Had one of the other owls woken up to see Aedan in such a state, the first assumption they would have had would be homesickness, which was a common problem for young newcomers who were not used to being away from their hollow or parents. For Aedan, however, this wasn't the case. He never did find any comfort in his old home, nor did he miss his parents—more appropriately—his fake parents. He was shunned by them while growing up, treated as some kind of accident or mistake, he couldn't be happier to find owls that actually respected his presence, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

His true reason for the sudden awakening could only be described as a daymare. Yet . . . a daymare wasn't exactly an accurate way to describe it. Aedan didn't know how to put it into words nor could he exactly recollect what he had witnessed. All he could remember was it felt like he was actually living within the dream, and it seemed to be rather familiar. Contradicting this, it was just as confusing as it was familiar; the things he had saw, what could those things have been? They certainly weren't anything owls had created, that's for sure.

He flickered his eyelids wearily, before recollecting his surroundings. Then, quietly, he started to walk out of the hollow. He ensured the sound of his clicking talons were as subdued as possible by taking careful steps and applying only as much pressure as necessary to complete each step. His efforts slowly payed off, as no one seemed to be disturbed by his movement. And about as quickly as he began, he was already out of the hollow and down the corridor. He figured that since he wasn't going to get any more sleep anyhow, he might as well try and see if that one owl, Jedrek, was awake and around.

After all, Aedan needed someone to talk to in these early hours, why not look for the owl with all the answers?

* * *

"Well how about that? I was just thinking about you, you know that? How you doin' lad?" The thunderous voice of Jedrek's sounded across the outside area of the landing branch with a remarkably ample presence.

Aedan had found Jedrek rather easily much to his own surprise. Jedrek's remarkably unique walking pattern was easy to hear during the last frail hours of daylight. All Aedan had to do was look around a general area and make out the fast pace talon clicks he made while walking. Apparently, Jedrek was on his way to the Kitchen, or, as it was apparently called, the Dining Hollow. Supposedly, Jedrek had figured Aedan would be looking for him—albeit, he confessed, he hadn't anticipated for Aedan to have been up so early. From the get go, Jedrek knew something was wrong.

The greetings Jedrek had offered was not met in kind, as Aedan was rather distracted by the view. It never got old to see the sunset, especially on a night like this. Had it not been for the fact that he was a rather inexperience flyer, Aedan would of enjoyed a flight around the tree and into the unknown. A part of him craved adventure, yet another part of him respected familiarity. On most nights, however, he preferred the latter.

Jedrek looked at Aedan skeptically. He wanted to say something, but he held his beak. He knew this owl wasn't like the others, so he may as well try to accommodate him in a different fashion—especially if what this owl had said regarding his father was true. It was hard for him to believe that this owl, a complete stranger, was the son of Drusus. It sent a shiver down his spine at the thought, he wanted to believe it was just a coincidence or some unintended exaggeration. Yet, the more he looked at Aedan, the clearer the resemblances were.

Jedrek bided his time, locking away his inner complexions for a time to be discussed later. For now, he wanted to get closer to Aedan, and establish a dialogue comfortable enough for the two of them.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat consciously, achieving it's goal of grabbing Aedan's once wandering attention. "I've noticed you seem quite distraught, is there anything on the matter you wish to discuss?" His voice was worryful, his expression mirrored a similar emotion.

"Oh," Aedan flinched uncontrollably, wincing at the thought. "It's nothing really, I . . . I was just unsettled by the new nest I was sleeping in was all."

Jedrek's eyes narrowed involuntarily, he could see through the lie quite easily. Though, he decided not to press the matter.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Jedrek said sympathetically, while holding back what he truly wanted to say.

Instead of holding up the conversation, Jedrek pressed forward a question using the newly acquired information he uncovered from what Aedan had said, "So you got a new nest from the sounds of it?"

Aedan was more confident to answer this question, "Why yes, along with a hollow that I'm sharing with my new friends."

"Well I never doubted you lad." He nodded enthusiastically, a mild interest began to develop in his voice.

He further puzzled together the information to come up with another question, "So, friends eh? Sounds like they don't mind letting you sleep in their hollow?"

Aedan shook his head, "No, they don't mind at all. I was quite surprised actually. Though, I don't think that would've been the case if it wasn't for Kolina."

"And who's she?" Jedrek inquired.

"A Barn owl, who's quite older than me."

He thought about her for a moment, remembering how she had guided him through the rest of the night at her own expense. She didn't seem to mind his inexperience and had even offered to teach him everything he needed to know. To him, she was the best thing to exist at the moment, and he would've rather had her taking care of him rather than his aunt and uncle. He was slightly disappointed about her being a Barn owl, but he didn't think any less of her despite this fact.

"She's one of the nicest owls I've ever met. Without her, I don't think I my time here would have been as enjoyable." He added.

"Hmm, and the class itself? Learned anything yet?"

"Not quite." Aedan said simply, with a hint of shame.

"So it ain't hard to you then?"

Aedan paused, he knew that while the lesson taught on that night he already knew, he also figured that there was to be much more than just that. To say it wasn't going to be a challenge would be a lie to himself and Jedrek. But, to pretend that the class thus far was actually difficult would be laughable. Even to him, the course seemed to be fairly easy going. The hardest part of the class would likely not being distracted.

Aedan's silence gave Jedrek all the information he needed.

"It's alright, you've only just started the class a night ago. Though, unless you already know a lot about the topics you are to be learning, I would be prepared for anything."

The advice hardly seemed to make Aedan feel any better. His gizzard began to dread the upcoming classes, but Jedrek did remedy this by saying.

"Look, it's not impossible. Believe it or not, when I was an youngling not much older than you, I was taking the exact same class. I didn't think I had it in me to keep up with all the areas we needed to be strong at, so I decided to seek the help of my classmates. But . . . one area everyone usually always struggles in is flight training."

Aedan was mildly confused about how flying would be difficult and why they needed training for that. Of course, that was not to say he was an expert in flying himself. But it hardly made sense as to why that would be an issue. Though, there seemed to be more to it than just what he thought.

Jedrek explained, "It's not that flying is hard, it's just the fact you aren't taught on what you need to know as a possible Guardian. I'm sure you yourself only know how to fly from point A to point B, and you know how to hunt, and that's it. Trust me, I was the same way. But we needed to know more than that. We didn't know where to look to or what we needed to know, that was until . . ." He gulped, his eyes flashed in apprehension.

"That was until what?" Aedan asked, desperately.

". . . That was until your father, Drusus, taught us everything we needed to know." The words barely escaped his beak. His beak was shaking after saying the name.

"Hmm?" Aedan let out, as he didn't quite understand what Jedrek was saying. He knew his father?

"Well," he blinked, "your father was a great flyer. He was quite older than the rest of us at the time, so he had more experience under his wings. So during our free time when we weren't studying, we would just meet up with him while he was flying, and imitate what he did."

"Imitate?" Aedan repeated, still trying to comprehend what Jedrek was saying.

"Yeah, so doing the banks and turns he would perform would become second-nature to us. Without doing that, I don't think I would have gotten as far as I did now." He took a moment to cherish those early moments, letting the silence relax him. Sadly, he realized he gave too much information to Aedan too soon, and his face twisted painfully when he heard the next question.

"So . . . you knew my father?" The question lingered in the air for a moment. Aedan's curiosity erupted into a wildfire. However, Jedrek was quick to extinguish such feelings it before it could spread. His voice turned venomous, almost as if it were an outright threat.

He quickly scanned down the corridor before leaning back closely to Aedan, "Listen kid, for our own sake, it's best you don't ask."

And just like that, he was off again to whatever place he had in mind; except this time, he was in a hurry. The foreboding words spoken by Jedrek was enough to scare Aedan into submission. He dared not follow and persist. What could such a question possibly be getting themselves into?

 _For our own sake?_ Aedan wondered, _what did he mean by that?_

Darkness began to creep it's way into the tree, eerily replacing the once welcomed sunlight with a gloomy atmosphere that was normal for most owls. For Aedan, this wasn't how he had wanted to start the night off, but he knew he had to move on. After shaking off the warning, he quickly made his way back to the hollow in order to prepare for the night.

* * *

"Oh, well you're up quite early!" Kolina remarked, slightly caught off guard by Aedan's sudden arrival.

Moments before, Kolina was strolling through the corridor, looking around casually to see who was awake. She would later admit that his disappearance from his nest seemed odd, but she understood that it could be uncomfortable to stay in that cramped hollow for too long. She herself found it awkward to stay in there, and decided to take the last moments of silence for granted in a mostly inactive tree. Though, Aedan did notice a slimmer of frustration be expressed by her when they had encountered each other. However, her demeanor could hardly be described as anything but kind and sympathetic.

"Same could be said about you." He mentioned, curious as to what she had been up to during this time.

She churred in that particularly pleasant fashion, before responding, "Ah yes. Just keeping an eye on things, seeing if anyone needs any help."

She looked into the hollow to her left, noticing something within it. However, before she could investigate it further, Aedan pitched in a question.

"So what's our plans for tonight? Are we just going straight to class once everyone gets up?"

She turned her head back towards him, her obsidian eyes faded from its inquiring state.

"Oh, our plans . . ." she curled one of her talons in a delicate manner as she thought, "well, we can go ahead and get our group up and make our way to the Dining Hollow."

Aedan was slightly troubled by how she had said that. Her voice was not enthusiastic as before. The plan itself was great, just . . . it almost seemed like that wasn't what she wanted to do.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, to which she quickly perked up and smiled.

"Yeah, sorry, just a little tired." She proceeded to start walking down the corridor back to their hollow.

With Aedan up front and leading, she twisted her head back towards the one hollow she was staring at before. Regretful to not be able to do what she had wanted to do prior to the encounter with Aedan. But knowing full well her importance to Aedan, she decided to leave it behind and continue walking as usual.

* * *

 _Later . . ._

The night was painfully long for Aedan. For what little time he had to prepare and talk with his newfound friends, he found himself dragging behind on the actual lesson they were being taught tonight. While the premise of it remains fundamentally simple, the topic wasn't an area he was most familiar with.

The basic history of the Kingdom of Tyto. As simple as it sounds, it hardly seemed to follow a predictable course. The only thing he knew was the Kingdom of Tyto was inherently a region for an owl species of the same name. To what extension its culture and history would provide left Aedan speechless, he simply didn't know what this Kingdom had over Ambala. In his opinion, Tytos shouldn't have had their own kingdom in the first place.

The War of the Ember, and the conflicts before it, were largely instigated by an extremist organization known as the Pure Ones. The Pure Ones, and its members, believed in a world dominated by owls that fall under the Tyto genus, otherwise referred to as Barn owls. They viewed any other owl that doesn't fall into this category to be inherently inferior. In their quest for world conquest, they had attempted to subversively and secretly ascend into power by whatever means necessary. Going as far as to launch an invasion against Ga'Hoole and St. Aegolius to legitimize their cause and stamp out any resistance that could challenge them. What follows, is recorded in the legends of Soren and Coryn, which nearly every owl was familiarized with.

In the end, with the Pure Ones threat neutralized, many have tried to find the root cause of their ascendance into power. Many speculate the Forest Kingdom of Tyto was the birthplace of this sentiment. Even someone as young as Aedan could see the danger posed by Barn Owls living amongst each other as equals. But an entire community of Barn owls with a king and queen? What could the owls of Ga'Hoole be thinking?

Aside from this, Aedan was dumbfounded on what else the kingdom had up its sleeve. He himself couldn't concentrate on what the teacher had to say either, as he was too distracted by what Jedrek had said to him earlier on that night. So, in order to make up for this, he decided to try to make up for this by following one of Jedrek's tips.

The Barn owls of the class were the first individuals Aedan had in mind to talk to. Kolina was an obvious owl to talk to; however, she claimed to be quite tied up that night after class, and was of no use to him. The other Barn owl—the one he had bumped into on his first night—was nowhere to be seen either. Even if he did find him, it was unlikely the Barn owl would want to stay around to discuss the topic in detail.

The only other Barn owl Aedan could look to was Vara, who was the only one in the hollow they shared at the time, reading a book she kept under her nest while she wasn't reading it. Vara was not eager to put aside her free time in such a way, but she knew helping the owl would be the right thing to do. She always had a studious attitude, attentive to even the slightest of details in not just her book, but even to the owls around her. She came off to Aedan as someone who was the most observant of the group, at the expense of her own social life.

Though, Aedan was in no room to talk when it came to his own social life.

"What is it you wish to know about my birthplace?" She inquired, slightly impatient.

"Uh . . . well, anything really. You seemed to know a lot about your kingdom, and I figured you could fill in the gaps for me."

During the class lecture, she had corrected the teacher on several points regarding the Kingdom of Tyto. To no one's shock, Vara was rather vivid when it came to discussing certain points in detail. Out of everyone, she was the most prideful of her home, and was sure to correct any misinformation regarding it.

"I see," she formed a faint smile, "well, I think it's important to understand _why_ our kingdom exist. I think knowing that much, will give you everything you need to know."

Aedan nodded in agreement, not seeing anything wrong with that.

"To start, you obviously are aware of the history behind owls like myself?" The question seemed to come off rather oddly, Aedan had expected it to be something regarding the actual kingdom, but he disregarded the nature of the question.

"Yeah."

"Well then, after The War of the Ember, what do you think the owls of Ga'Hoole would be most concerned with?"

"Pure Ones?" Aedan guessed.

"Tytos." Her voice edged in agitation, perhaps it was suppose to be an easy question for Aedan.

"After the war, the Guardians spent much of their time and forces in the vast forest of Tyto, ensuring there was to be no more Pure One insurrections or dissidents. They did this to other regions as well, but to a lesser extent. The majority of Guardians were occupying the my home in fear of not just our ideals, but of our species."

Aedan remained silent, the tone of her voice lead him to believe she was not something to mess with while explaining her home's history.

"So eventually, on the bright side, with the rise of Ambala as a power in the region. The Tytos of Tyto Forest sought a means to protect themselves, without the Guardians directly occupying their region. And, with that, the Kingdom of Tyto was born. Ironically, our first leader was one of Soren's daughters, Bash. And the Guardians finally left our kingdom alone and left it to our own government to prevent such radical ideologies from taking power."

She looked up at Aedan, her dark eyes sparkled in excitement. "To put it simply, you're kingdom was created out of respect for the Ambalians and as an experiment. Our kingdom was created by the Guardians to subjugate Tytos and ensure that no more radical ideologies are created. It was also likely that Soren was behind the scheme as well, after all, it was his birthplace."

"So your kingdom," Aedan carefully began to ask, "was created to keep Tytos from becoming Pure Ones?"

"In the simplest of interpretations, yes, yes it was." Her answer seemed more negative than it should've been.

"To you, is that a good thing or bad?" Aedan didn't know why he asked that question, it just popped up in his head and came out of his beak.

She cocked her head sideways in confusion, before trying to come up with an answer. "Well," she sighed, "yes and no, it's good that there are no more Pure Ones and we have our own kingdom to look up to. But it's also bad due to the fact we are treated as threats not based on our ideals, but based on our species. In fact, talking about these kind of things is spronk or forbidden in the Kingdom of Tyto. Most owls in our kingdom don't even know what a Pure One is."

"So if that's the case," Aedan speculated, "then why do you know so much about all this?"

Vara eyes glared at his. Her older age was not enough to hide her true emotions like parents could do with their children. She found this owl to be rather odd, especially with how he asks questions. Then again, she did find this to be amusing; was he trying to catch her on something? As if, she was hiding some dark secret? She merely laughed at the thought.

She churred abruptly, before answering, "Same reason why you're here with me kid, because we're not afraid to ask the questions." She winked.

Though, it was hardly the response Aedan had wanted to hear. He couldn't agree with her more. For a place of knowledge and freedom, it did seem that the owls here were indeed trying to hide something. The thought of what Jedrek had said before: _for our own sake_ , was unnerving to think about. Did his father do something bad? Or was there something dangerous about the name? The question itself could only be answered by Jedrek, but at the moment, he didn't look to be in any position to answer it.

To the very least, as they continued their chat, at least Aedan would learn enough information about the Kingdom of Tyto in have a general understanding of it. He was thankful for her help, and this experience would further help stimulate his newly develop strategy of comradeship and sharing of information.

Tomorrow, however, he would have to learn about the last officially created kingdom: Silverveil. Then, after that, who knows what they'd be learning? Perhaps a better question would be: what lies ahead of him now in this Great Tree?

* * *

 **Ninja Edit (7/4/2017): Happy 4th of July for us Americans! Hope the rest of the world will see our fireworks explode in that night sky in a frenzy of colors!**


	3. Mutual Apportion

**A/N: Another chapter update! The story is moving along, and the next chapter should be out soon. I'll keep this Author's Note short this time around, though I do have two things to say.**

 **First, thank you all for the feedback and support, you don't know how much I appreciate it! (I know I say this often, but I can't stress it enough!) Also, thank you ForgeBorn for pointing out some errors and giving your feedback, I'll edit those mistakes out once this update goes live!**

 **Secondly, since I got a guest review that I can't respond to through PM, I'll just post it here, because it would be wrong of me to ignore the review.**

 _Anonymous:_ **Thank you for your review! It's unfourente I can't respond to you VIA PM, but I just figured to say if you're reading that your review wasn't ignored and I can't express how happy it makes me feel to see someone give me their thoughts! As for your request regarding the "Others" and their role in the story, I won't say too much; though, I'd be happy to hear what you exactly want to see. So yeah, I'll take it into further consideration!**

* * *

" _Every successful individual knows that his or her achievement depends on a community of persons working together."_

~ Paul Ryan

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

 _Mutual Apportion_

Aedan's stay at the Gateway to Hoole since the first few nights has began to proceed smoothly as time went on. Compared to his prior self, he was far more aware and educated than before. He was also well sheltered in the comfort of his new friends, both physically and mentally. As a result, his desires and ambitions would further succeed his drive to the top, seeking any means necessary to get to that point. Of course, this couldn't have been done without some sacrifices.

His mentor and initial guider, Jedrek, was one of the few individuals Aedan had decided to distance himself away from. After the incident regarding Jedrek's warning regarding a question about his father, Aedan had considered Jedrek to be somewhat mendacious and even dangerous. But, even despite these feelings, Jedrek was the only owl Aedan could ever rely upon for when it came to getting any closer to an actual Guardian. Still, Aedan only resorted to Jedrek if the task he needed was completely necessary.

As for the questions Aedan still wanted to have answered by Jedrek, he ultimately decided that it was better left unanswered in order to stay focused on what he considered to be the real task at hand (or wing).

For awhile, doing this seemed to have allowed Aedan to work more efficiently and interact with his friends in a far more sincere manner.

But, the more he tried to ignore the thought, the harder it was for him to think about his past. How could he live without knowing what is true?

Besides that, the course he was taking was dragging along in a slow, despicable manner. By now, they had learned about quite a few subjects. For starters, they had went into history of the _Three S'yrthgharian Kingdoms_ , then, they began their course in Ga'Hoology (which also acted as a platform to discuss the history of both the Great Tree of Ga'Hoole, and the Gateway to Hoole). As disappointing as it was, it did at least make sense to learn about it then and there, as Ga'Hoology is best incorporated with history as well.

Thereafter, they had started exploring the topics regarding tracking, and its uses. Tracking was also a good topic to continue with after Ga'Hoology, due to its relativity with surfaces and locations that existed in the Gateway to Hoole, such as the kind of talon marks on a landing branch.

Then there was navigation, which for the most part, was a more challenging lesson. The only way to master the subject is to memorize all of the constellations in relation to critical landmarks. Given the complexity of the matter, only the simplest of lessons were given. However, it was warned that in the actual navigation chaw, more in-depth navigational methods were common—especially in poor visibility conditions. This area of study stumped most of them, but Aedan got through it regardless.

Then, they were now finishing up on their blacksmithing course. Tomorrow night, they were to actually get to make their training claws under supervision, which was one of the first assignments they've been issued. Blacksmithing was an extensive subject, with two main areas of concern: basic forging and safety. It was a rough and complicated class, but for what it was worth, it allowed them to move out of that learning hollow and into an actual forge. Though, it was already known that after tomorrow night, they would likely not be returning to either area for the rest of their learning period.

It was no secret as to why they were receiving training claws. Training claws were the staple item for a chawlet in the search-and-rescue, as well as a needed item for more advance chaw training. Blunt-tipped, and typically made out of copper. The reason copper training claws were most commonly used was because of its ease of availability, easy production and crafting, and softness. The softness factor is quite important actually, as these claws aren't meant for combat, and likewise should only be used for training. But, despite the inherent disadvantages of copper battleclaws, it still brought about a tremendous excitement among the chawlets.

After all, it was to be their own battleclaws by default.

Once they crafted their battleclaws and learned how to strap them on and off, they were to learn about the basics of search and rescue, then finally begin flight exercises in order to make up for the inability to take part in wildfires and storms. While they still are going to learn about the basics of weather interpretation and colliering, they would most likely do so in-flight with their training claws. Meaning, that the the quality of their battleclaws would likely play a big factor into these lessons, as a poorly made pair would likely act more as a liability than a useful instrument of warfare.

From here on out, things would be going down hill, and Aedan was anxious about these last couple of nights; as likely, they would prove to be the most important.

For their final lesson, it would be a test of what they had learned so far. For they would be embarking on a voyage to a particular part in Ambala. They would need to first be able to fly there, with their battleclaws, and use the knowledge in navigation, weather interpretation, and flying skills to get their safely. Then, once there, it was stated that they would have to look for something—of which, hasn't exactly been revealed yet. Likely, this would require the skills needed in tracking, search-and-rescue, and whatever else they've learned so far.

Then, Aedan didn't know what would happen afterwards. They would likely be finally inspected by the teacher, before officially completing the course. From there it was mentioned that they could be allowed to actually begin real training, and perhaps tapped into an actual chaw at the Gateway to Hoole. This would allow them to stay there permanently as residents, but they could choose to live elsewhere if they so desired.

As for those that choose not to continue training, they would look into other programs offered there. Some concerning very specific subjects, such as different language courses or studies into lesser known topics. Moreover, there were third-party courses offered by both Ambala and Tyto, the most common of which was military training and detailed classes for one of the said kingdoms. Besides that, an owl can't stay at the Gateway to Hoole if they aren't either serving them, or in some form of education.

Aedan didn't quite know what he would do after this course. His passion—his undisputed objective—was to get to somewhere that did extensive studies and offered credible information regarding the "Others". That was it, he didn't want to fancy himself to being a Guardian just to have them not knowing what an "Other" truly was. He didn't care if the location was all the way at the Great Tree of Ga'Hoole, or somewhere in the Beyond, he just needed a place to do his research. Anything else is just extra baggage at this point.

It was his intention, his purpose, to truly unravel everything about the long-gone civilization.

But before any of that could be considered, he knew he had to finish up this course with flying colors to even remotely get a shot at going to the Great Tree in the middle of the Sea of Hoolemere itself.

Tonight was a rather entertaining night for him. The realization of all of this and the joyous moods of his friends made it seem wonderful. These friends, who Aedan had developed a relance upon, served in his best interest to please and connect with. The reason for this was due to the fact that nearly each one of them had one particularly well-known area of knowledge, while lacking in the rest. In other words, they all had a skill, and their knowledge combined was almost everything they needed.

Favian, the Great horned who was the most assertive out of their group, had a lot of experience in blacksmithing from watching his own parents and gained a lot of knowledge also through his own curiosity. His buddy Spotted owl, Vaughn, was rather talkative and annoying to most of them, but enjoyed offering a wide range of trivial information, with the most important being knowledge about the Great Tree, thus this proved to be useful for Ga'Hoology.

Vara, the Barn owl who Aedan had first started this mutual exchange of information with, was the most observant. She was easily the best owl to rely on in tracking, as her careful and steadfast attention to detail was of the most useful there. As for Kolina, she herself didn't stick out in any particular category, but her leadership and charisma was put to good use in maintaining the group's integrity and getting the best results out of everyone. Kolina had a great sense of direction, and Aedan predicted that she would be the strongest in organizing them and making the final calls for any task they may come across.

As for himself, he was much like Kolina, but didn't have any rather significant trait to make up for that. His ability to find the Gateway to Hoole without help made him a candidate for navigation, but he himself admitted that his knowledge there was rather unconvincing. He would have openly admitted he was the weakest link of the group.

That was . . . if it wasn't for another possible member that the group had been so determined on introducing.

The Barn owl—the one that Aedan had bumped into—was to be the sixth member of their group. Or at least, that would have been the case had it not been for the Barn owl's refusal every time it was offered. While Aedan didn't know who exactly was the first to be interested in this Barn owl, he was certainly the last one to even consider him apart of the group.

While he did pity the owl for his shyness, Aedan did not find anything impressive regarding the owl. Aside from the fact he was a Barn owl—one of the species he disliked—the owl had nothing to offer. He did not show that he was knowledgeable in any of the subjects brought up so far, never talked, and typically isolated himself for the rest of the night after class. Compared to himself, the Barn owl could at least have tried improving his knowledge, but chose not to. This was the main reason why Aedan disliked the owl, not because he would be a weak asset, but because the owl _wanted_ to be in isolation rather than seek a mutual friendship with the group. It angered him to see the group take up for the Barn owl when this point was ever brought up by him.

Aedan had grown in confidence over the many nights since had first arrived. Almost to the point he was overly confident, cocky, and even arrogant at times. Many times before, he referred to the Barn owl often to the group as "dimwitted" or a "scatter-brain". Usually he said this during an argument about his acceptance into the group, other times when he was brought up out of random. Either way, Aedan's judging behavior did not go unnoticed, yet Aedan himself hasn't recognized how his own behavior has changed since he first got here.

Despite all of this, tonight, as they all celebrated their path to completing the class. They decided to take these last few hours of nighttime for granted, and play a game that best relates to what they are about to do. The game was called, _Protect the Embered King_ , and, as its name would imply, the objective was to protect an assigned person from "attacks".

The game itself is based off the last battle of The War of the Ember at the Beyond, where Coryn, the late embered king of Ga'Hoole, was killed returning the Ember of Hoole to the Sacred Ring; and in this battle, it was also where the Pure ones were ultimately destroyed once and for all.

Aedan himself knew quite a lot about this battle actually, as well as the importance of the Ember of Hoole. While he still was unsure, there was plenty of times where his aunt would mention to visiting neighbors that he, the son of Drusus, was born on such a night of an eclipse much like Coryn. While this information was enough to boast about, he still was unsure about the credibility about such claims. After all, there was no one besides his aunt and uncle to know if this accusation was even true or not. And quite frankly, Aedan could care less about what his fake parents claim.

Even so, the game itself was just for fun, and thinking about such things was not what Aedan had in mind. The basics of the game is there are two teams, one of which are the "Guardians" and its allies, the other being the Pure Ones and the other evil owls that partaken in the battle. The two sides will face it out in a "battle" between each other. To "kill" someone, they would have to slice at where they were to attack—but not to actually harm the other person. With the good guys side, some of them will have twigs to represent fire branches, while the rest will use bare talons that they would pretend to be battleclaws.

To win, the bad guys must force the ember king to surrender, or to eliminate him. For the good guys, they must eliminate all the bad guys. Very easy game to set up and participate in. The fake combat was to be the hardest part, as chawlets are known to cheat and disapprove a hit or claim to have killed the other without a reason.

In this case, they are just doing it for fun and won't take it too seriously.

Everything about this was to be perfect to Aedan, except for one small problem.

The Barn owl was invited to join, and in a twist of fate, it decided to accept the offer much to everyone's surprise. Aedan wasn't quite pleased about this, but, he came up with a good idea to counteract this.

They needed someone to be the bad guy, as everyone wanted to be Guardians. Aedan took advantage of this, and suggested that the new Barn owl fill this spot. While everyone seemed hesitant about the idea at first, the Barn owl didn't seem to mind, and accepted the offer. Upon his agreement, the others didn't seem disagree either. But everyone knew from the start it was a badly balanced team.

All five of them were on the Guardians side, with only the Barn owl on the Pure One side. Despite this, no one seemed to mind, after all, it does reflect how hopeless the Pure One cause was and their inevitable defeat.

Aedan had no problem with this setup either, as he saw this as an opportunity perhaps to show off. Maybe he could appear really good at fighting, and that would fill in his role in the group. How hard could it be? Beat a single owl in talon to talon combat in the air, and that came down to talon-work and good reactions. If he had a "fire branch" it would be all the more easier, as although the twig wouldn't be nearly as big as an actual fire branch, it would still give him slashing capabilities. And he only needed to touch the Barn owl with the twig to actually win.

Once they all settled the rules and setup, they got airborne. It was decided that the person to protect would be Kolina, who would act as the appropriately titled, "embered queen". As leader, she arranged her team in a diamond formation with them slightly spread away from her, with one in-front, behind, and one on each side of her. Aedan himself would be at the front, the first to likely come in contact with the Barn owl.

 _All the better._ He thought. His gizzard jumped in anticipation for the mock fight, this was his chance to act like an actual guardian and beat the "evil" owl.

"So, uh . . ." Vaughn hesitated, trying to find the right words, "when we start the fight, do we all just go at him, or do we do this on a one by one basis?"

His question seemed fair to consider, it would seem rather chaotic if they all just swarmed the poor youngling. Even Aedan would rather have it be on a fairer bases, as he wanted to beat the owl by himself. But he wasn't in any position to answer that question. So, Kolina answered for them.

"I say it's only right we give him a chance, we can only attack him one at a time, unless he goes after more than one of us at once."

"It's not like he's going to get past even one of us though," Favian stated, "we're all older than him, and he's not going to know what he's doing. Right Aedan?"

He looked over at Aedan who nodded in response, Aedan himself held a mostly similar view on the matter. Though, he was in no position to talk either, Aedan wasn't much older than the Barn owl in question.

"Regardless," Vara asserted in, "this is just for fun, and we aren't here to scrutinize are little companion over a game." She looked at Aedan in particular, perhaps the comment was directed at him due to the many instances of scrutiny before.

Aedan found the comment to be strange though. Their "companion"? Under whose basis? They don't even know the owl's name. It's quite a leap to call a Barn owl they just met, a friend, much more, a companion. Perhaps it was only metaphorical, or in goodwill. Aedan had a habit of looking to far into these kind of trivial things.

Finally, the game began and the young Barn owl made his approach from the front. His flight path was directly towards Aedan, just as Aedan had predicted. It would be an anxious wait, but they all were excited for it. The four of them, in their diamond configuration around Kolina, were practically hovering in place. This allowed them to prepare themselves for whatever attack was to be thrown at them, as they could respond in an instant just by repositioning to bring their talons to bear.

This was based on the common form of fighting otherwise known as fencing, where two opposing owls would hover or circle around each other to find a way to connect their swords or talons against the enemy. This was what owls did in the legends and throughout the ages, as it seemed to be the most efficient way to take on an enemy. It sometimes came down to understanding the wind, positioning, and teamwork; but in large part, actual talon-work and reaction timing is what determined the winner. More often that not, in battles, owls would hover around each other to provide support. The same holds true even now, in their youthful formation.

As the Barn owl flew full speed towards him, Aedan couldn't help but think he had this. The owl would charge straight at him at full speed, extend his claws, and all Aedan would have to do is respond with extended claws of his own. The two would connect, and then it would come down to talon-work. Surely, even if he did lose in the end, this wouldn't be easy for the Barn owl.

He stared at the Barn owl eagerly, it was only a matter of time before they made contact.

Seconds away from getting close enough to begin the fight, in an unexpected move, the Barn owl quickly banked to Aedan's right and ascended briefly. Now to Aedan's high right, the Barn owl came back down upon him still at full speed, leaving no time for Aedan to react.

The Barn owl came at an extremely difficult angle to respond to with Aedan's own talons, and Aedan was too shocked by the move to reposition. In what seemed to be a flash, the Barn owl passed above Aedan's right wing, talons extended in a striking manner.

Aedan's eyes flashed in realization, the Barn owl would have struck his neck and right wing if this was a real fight. He would've been dead on the spot. It was an embarrassing and equally frightening observation.

It was obvious, he had underestimated this Barn owl . . . what is more, perhaps his own reaction speed wasn't as good as he had once thought. Should he have saw that kind of attack coming? It didn't seem like something any owl would do, as the Barn owl did not stop his movements for the attack.

He was just flying as if he didn't need to stop.

Upon the pass, the Barn owl quickly flew back towards the front of the formation and circled slightly above the group. Watching carefully about how they would respond. The group seemed somewhat shocked by the quick kill as well, as they hadn't planned on the Barn owl to be so serious about the game. Aedan himself didn't even need to say anything, they all knew he would accept the defeat. But, this also did encouraged them to start playing serious, anticipating who he would go after next.

Then without warning, the Barn owl flew at Vaughn at the same angle he did to Aedan, slightly above head level. Then, it dawned to Aedan why the Barn owl was attacking in such a way.

Coming from slightly above the enemy means that they would have a harder time bringing their talons to bear, as most owl weapons are carried below the owl, where the talons are. Meaning, that the Barn owl at this angle can strike at the face of Vaughn with impunity, while Vaughn would have a very difficult time preventing the Barn owl from attacking him, unless he briefly flew nearly upside down at the moment of attack.

This perhaps also explains why the Barn owl chose not to hover like the rest of them. The Barn owl could just use his speed to strike at the enemy in a quick, decisive manner and not face retaliation. However, this meant that the Barn owl's movements were possible to predict, due to the fact he was flying at such a speed to begin with. Perhaps, this little tactic the Barn owl had in store wasn't all that special over the regular fencing method.

Added with the fact Vaughn had a twig to represent a fire branch, it was likely the Barn owl's approach was to be countered now that they knew what his attack method was.

Moments before closing the distance, the Barn owl extended his claws in a manner to show he was attacking. Vaughn responded by tipping backwards and swinging the twig towards where the Barn owl was to strike.

Despite this, the Barn owl seemed to have anticipated this, and quickly banked to the left to avoid it. As Vaughn went back to his hovering state, the Barn owl, using his speed, came around the side of Vaughn before quickly turning back into him, right where his back was. The sudden move caught the recovering Vaughn off-guard and defenseless as the Barn owl extended his claws again and struck hypothetically where the back of his neck would of been.

At this point, they knew it wasn't luck that allowed the Barn owl to get away with what he was doing. The Barn owl clearly knew what he was doing, and could easily deal with anyone hovering in such a manner. Aedan and Vaughn were speechless, the rest of them were nervous at the sudden turn of events.

Despite the hard turn the Barn owl had performed to get behind Vaughn, he still had enough speed to keep moving, and it was at this point Favian took to the offensive once he realized the Barn owl would just pick them off if they just hovered.

Tailing him, the Barn owl fled away from the massive Great Horned and built up his speed. This seemed to irritate Favian more as it appeared cowardly and inappropriate for a game like this. Mutters of annoyance and taunts spewed out of Favian. This seemed to be where the fight would end, as there was nothing the Barn owl could do without being touched. But before that was considered, the Tyto started to ascend straight up into the night sky. Of course, with Favian followed, but the move didn't make sense to any of them.

 _What is he doing?_ Aedan thought.

Why would the Barn owl go up? It wasn't going to change anything, Favian would still be following him, and the maneuver was difficult to maintain if there was any sort of wind gust.

While they watched in fascination, Favian's and the Barn owl's climb began to slow as their airspeed dropped. There was no wind to push them around, but regardless, such a climb was impossible to prolong. Favian, at this point hovering slightly below the Barn owl due to the lack of speed, remarked.

"You know, you little mooncalf, the saying: 'what goes up must come down'?"

Had the Tyto been looking back at him, they would've all saw the deliberate grin grow on his face.

The Barn owl finally also was at this hovering state, but chose not to hover. Instead, he nosed back down towards the ground, letting gravity do the work to regain speed.

At this point, Favian took notice to his grave error.

The Barn owl, directly above his opponent and gaining speed, dived directly through what little space separated them. Then at that exact moment, the Barn owl extended his claws, before pulling up abruptly. The claws would of found their mark on Favian's exposed face, a surely painful experience should it have come to fruition. Favian was at a loss for words, just like the rest of them.

This young owl has beaten three of them in slightly over a minute. It was asinine to believe it, but there was something superficial about this owl. Even Aedan had to admit, the owl was clever. But how could the owl of this age make it look so easy?

Aedan kept trying to think of excuses regarding this humiliating mock slaughter. Was it unreasonable to believe that this owl would not have the capability to actually kill just using his claws like that? Even if he cuts them, was it really enough to take them down? Also, what if they were all going at him at once? This owl wouldn't stand much of a chance then, especially with just claws.

Though, the thought of this Barn owl with some kind of a sword just terrified him.

Aedan was too distracted to notice Vara's own attempt to take on the Barn owl. She tried to compete with him by flying, but she was hardly an experience flyer despite being the oldest. Her turns were sloppy and wavering, while the Barn owl's own were nearly perfected and streamlined. In no time, he had out-turned her and managed to get with distance to fake slash at her left wing. Regardless of its actual effects in terms of damage, Vara accepted the defeat, as she wished to not humiliate herself any further.

The owl finally approached Kolina, however, this time he actually proceeded to hover in front of her. It was clear at this point the owl had won, and Kolina wasn't willing to take part in a lost cause. Only Kolina's face showed no surprise or confusion, rather, she had that same approachable smile when confronting the victor. Out of everyone, she seemed to accept the circumstances for what it was: a game.

She went on to say in a humble manner, "I respectfully surrender myself, youngling."

The owl didn't seem bolstered by the statement. His eyes remained in a locked, skeptical state. She on the flip side was modestly curious, her look said it all. She seemed to just want him to speak.

"My word, things would of went quite differently if you were around then, don't you think so?" she quipped, however the only response she got was the owl's departure.

She sighed disappointedly, "Quite an odd, but talented owl that one is. Don't you all think so?"

The rest of them were too unsettled by what had happened to give a response. Whatever confidence they had in being a Guardian was now in question, as if there were owls like that around, they would all be dead in a heartbeat. What is more, this one was so young in comparison to most of them. To have lost to an almost literal owlet made them think twice about what they were doing here. Their once excited and optimistic moods were now replaced with a questioning outlook.

Out of everyone, Aedan was hit the hardest by this.

 _I would of been dead . . ._ He grieved internally to himself.

The owl may not have killed him, but it certainly did flat-out destroy his confidence. He was now second-guessing himself, realizing that he needed an immediate revaluation of himself after what had happened. This owl, possibly, had more to offer than he had originally expected.

Could this owl be like . . . his father? Jedrek had stated that his father was a spectacular flyer, but that was because of his age. This Barn owl was almost the youngest of the entire class! There had to be a mistake.

Then, Aedan began to have a deep, keen interest of the owl. There had to be something about him that made him so gifted at flying! But how would he uncover what is behind this Barn owl? It hasn't even given them a name to work with! Such an inquiry would prove to be difficult to perform.

In any case, Aedan could only think of one thing:

 _Thank Glaux this owl is a to-be Guardian and not a Pure One!_


	4. The Tyto (Part I)

**A/N: I don't got much to say unfortunately, been quite tired lately preparing from my trip. Will be in New York City for a week or so, so hit me up if you're around that area!**

* * *

" _Silence is a true friend who never betrays."_

~ Confucius

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

 _The Tyto (Part I)_

Late in the afternoon, Aedan was slinking around the narrow corridors with the intention of uncovering a secret motive regarding someone. The individual in question was very difficult to track even during the most uneventful of nights, and Aedan had spent countless days trying to find some sort of pattern to go off of. His interest started to become resolute, as it was discovered that this owl tended to wake up far earlier than everyone else did. This was an awfully suspicious routine for an owl of his age to be doing at a place like this.

That owl in particular was the Tyto—the one who has been acting so discreet ever since he had arrived here. The only time he had spoke directly to him was when Aedan had happened to bump into him by accident, and even that dialogue was as insignificant as it could've been. Since then, the Barn owl—who Aedan has started referring to him as "The Tyto"—was always on the move and by himself. Ever since that night where the owl singly-handedly won that game, Aedan wanted to find out more about him. To this point, Aedan had resorted to snooping around for information to gather about him.

Now, with solid evidence on his sleeping cycle, all Aedan had to do was follow his movements to see where he went off to.

Many times before, his investigation would get delayed by unexpected arrivals or sudden changes in behavior. This early night, however, showed no signs of obstacles for Aedan.

The Tyto had a very particular style of walking. Compared to the others, his pattern was noticeably more uncomfortable in transitioning from step to step. He would awkwardly place his talons down in a gripping fashion on the floor, often times scratching the surface, sometimes leaving a mark on the material. Each individual step was very easy to hear, even from a distance.

This trait, Aedan discovered, was most likely developed due to extreme apprehension of some kind. Everything about the Tyto read paranoia, even his very posture in most cases. There wasn't a fleeting moment where the Tyto seemed calm and orderly; that was, except for one very specific case . . .

It was during that game they had played, did the Tyto appear more revealing than ever. So much so, that most of Aedan's assessments on the owl were taken during this period of time alone. It was clear the owl was a natural flyer, but to what extent and for what purpose, was the true question that Aedan wanted to have answered.

At this time and on the case, Aedan was trailing the owl down the corridor. Staying just far enough to not appear to be directly following him, but close enough to hear his footsteps should he come out of sight. From the direction and pace of the owl, it appeared he was making his way for one of the take-off branches near the many hollows on the upper part of the Gateway to Hoole. There was really only one single reason why anyone would go there.

It's an easy starting point for beginning a free-flight without too much difficulty.

Near the end of the corridor, sunlight shined through an opening, which seemed to be one of the entrances to the exterior launch pads. The Barn owl quickly navigated towards it, and proceeded through it without a second thought, much to Aedan relief.

Then, Aedan heard a voice call out towards someone.

"Hey!"

He froze, he didn't know where it came from or who it was directed to. There was a period of dreading silence, before the voice spoke again.

"Nice to see you on time youngling; you ready for our early flight?"

Aedan sighed in relief, the question was not directed at him. The question was asked inside the hollow the Barn owl went in, presumably directed towards the said Barn owl.

The masculine voice who had asked the question was relatively undemanding, but Aedan could tell this wasn't the owl's first time talking to the "youngling"; especially since the youngling responded.

"Well, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

Aedan knew right away this was the voice of the Barn owl he was so focused on learning about. He could tell, as the Barn owl always responded in a clipped, unforthcoming manner. Considering this is one of the few times the Barn owl spoke, Aedan began to seriously wonder about who the other individual was, and what he had in relation to the "youngling".

The other individual chuckled half-heartedly, it seemed he was used to the snarky kind of replies the Barn owl would make.

"Right, that questions seems kind of silly now that I think about it. Well, you'll be happy to know the colonel is here and willing to fly with us."

Aedan was now hugging the wall beside the entrance, staying as silent as possible to hear everything going on inside. He had to force himself to resist the urge of peeking inside to see who the other owl was.

The Barn owl seemed to choke on what he had just heard, "Wait Vasyl, you're talking about the Colonel? You mean, _The_ Colonel?"

Aedan quickly took a mental note of the name, as he continued to listen to the conversation.

"Yeah, believe it or not, he's actually quite excited to see you here. It's best we don't fool around in front of him . . ."

Vasyl paused, Aedan tried to remain as still as possible, as he didn't want to be heard. The pause seems to be intentional, but for what reason this "Vasyl" had in mind, Aedan couldn't tell.

 _Must be based on the expression of the Barn owl._ Aedan speculated, before pressing his head against the wall to hear what Vasyl had to say next.

"There's nothing to worry about, I—I . . . " there was a pause again, Vasyl then started over, there was an extensively parlous tone in what he was about to say.

"Listen, I know there's a lot of uncertainty in you, Gowyr. You're afraid of what the future may hold in store, but I'm here to tell you to let go of that. There'll be many different organizations going after you—"

Aedan had lost his balance, scratching the floor with his talons to recover his footing. He cursed at himself silently and realized it most likely cost him his concealment.

He could have sworn he had heard someone behind him run off in a hurry; it was too late now to see where that individual went. Aedan stayed as still as possible, hoping they haven't noticed the slipup.

Vasyl reflected slowly, "As I was saying, some organizations will be watching us, _even now_."

Aedan was already gone before the owl inside even finished the sentence, Aedan knew he was compromised and they would be looking for him. Luckily for Aedan, they choose not to follow or see who it was. Perhaps out of concern for their own safety.

Despite that, he still cursed at himself for screwing that up. There was something going on that he wasn't aware about, and the mystery seemed more complex than he had previously expected.

"Gowyr huh?" Aedan said to himself quietly as he returned back to his hollow where his peers were stationed, recalling the very unique name given to the Barn owl.

"Well, at least I got his name." He joked, though there was much more he wanted to uncover about this "Gowyr".

* * *

Aedan was staring off into the distance, it was now prime time for the owls of the Gateway to Hoole to begin their activities on this cool night. Aedan and the group were around a "snake table", eating their early night meal and socializing. Of course, that Barn owl—Gowyr, was nowhere to be seen. For Aedan, however, that was for the better: considering what happened earlier that night.

He stared down at the floor, his troubled thoughts persisted now more than ever. Who was that other owl Gowyr talking to? What about this "colonel" they were talking about? Other organizations watching them?

He just wanted to hurl himself away from it all, it was just like the situation regarding Jedrek; so many questions, no compliable answers. It frustrated him, he wanted to find out the truth and get it over with.

Kolina, who has been observing Aedan's hampered mood, gathered the courage to ask him about his state.

"Aedan," He quickly flicked his head towards her, her face shot up in concern upon seeing this, "is everything alright? You haven't eaten anything yet and you look unsure."

He sighed, maybe throwing out a question would make him feel better, though he was certain she wouldn't have an answer for him.

"I need to ask you something, this has been troubling me for awhile . . . do you know who, 'The Colonel' is? I know, it's a stupid question, but I just have to know."

Her obsidian eyes showed confusion, as Aedan expected. She struggled to correlate her thoughts into words. But just when Aedan thought she was going to give up on it, she gave an unexpected answer.

"You see that owl near the corner with the mangled face?"

She directed his attention over towards the owl in question. Upon seeing him, Aedan gasped, he has already seen that owl before. His reaction gave her enough proof that he has already seen the individual and does not need further direction.

"He's supposedly this 'Colonel' everyone speaks about. He's always in here at this time, at the same location. Once you see him, you'll always recognize him."

He couldn't believe she knew who this owl was, it was almost as if she always had the answers for him. He pressed another question forward to learn more, to see if his luck would run out.

"So, who is he, and what does he do?"

She took another moment to contemplate, before coming up with another answer. "I can't say I know enough about him to tell you who he is as an owl."

Aedan's hopefulness for the additional answers dropped in disappointment, however, Kolina did her best to provide some additional details.

But, I do know—at least from what I heard—that he was once a Guardian at the actual Great Tree of Ga'Hoole itself; but, for whatever reason, he eventually moved to the Kingdom of Tyto and joined their military. After awhile, he became one of the mentors here for owls coming from the Kingdom of Tyto, and has been doing that ever since."

Aedan turned around to look back at the old, scarred Sooty owl that had directed him to his class on the first night. Disturbingly, the owl was looking right at him, and gave him a slow nod before looking away. This didn't seem odd to Kolina, who further added.

"Oh, and he's perhaps one of the sharpest hearing Tytos in the entire Southern Kingdoms. I think—if I'm remembering this correctly—he was one of the best instructors of the tracking Chaw during his time at the Great Tree of Ga'Hoole."

She tapped one of her talons on the floor several times, before adding, "He perhaps still is . . ."

Aedan looked back at her, in surprise. Was she saying, that . . . he still serves the Great Tree of Ga'Hoole?

"How do you know all of this?" He asked suddenly. Kolina turned to look for someone, but couldn't find them.

"Well, Vara was the one who told me most of this; she is, after all, knowledgeable about anything to do with the Kingdom of Tyto, the 'Colonel' is no exception. In fact, I've seen her a couple times before talk with that Sooty owl for long periods of time. Maybe he's her idol, they both seem to be quite reserved and observant individuals."

"Hmm . . ."

Aedan looked around for Vara, but like Gowyr, she was nowhere to be seen. This was odd, however, as there wasn't really ever a time where she would disappear like that. The question Aedan had in mind was now starting to shift away from Gowyr, and towards Vara. If what Kolina said was true, then could Vara and Gowyr already know each other through the Sooty owl?

"One last question," Aedan began, puzzling together a possible connection, "who was it in our group that wanted the young Barn owl to be accepted in relentlessly?"

Kolina paused, her eyes wandering, "I was convinced that he needed help in his studies and was mostly shunned upon by others, so I thought it'd be best if we offered the option to him."

She proceeded to stretch her wings, appearing to ready herself for the coming flight later this night.

"Though, I was made aware of this Barn owl's troubles by Vara. As she seems to have taken an interest regarding him."

That was just the answer he needed. It was obvious, Vara was beginning to show a pattern. She had some sort of agenda towards that old Sooty owl and Gowyr—but it could be entirely coincidental.

In any case, Aedan still needed to find a way to get closer to Gowyr.

* * *

Many nights passed since Aedan's slip-up that resulted in him fleeing away from the meet up Gowyr was having with that other owl called Vasyl. After that night, Gowyr was even more cautious, but eventually he lessened his guard, especially after both the Sooty, and Vasyl seemed to disappear completely.

Their time in class has been replaced by flight time, practicing various topics such as owlet recovery, low-altitude flying, and basic formation flying. It seemed in each session, Gowyr would appear more and more open to everyone. Sometimes, he would even offer a brief conversation, mostly relative to the topic and nothing to do personally. Aedan has taken advantage of this change of outlook, and has got ever-so closer to the Tyto.

Now every early night, the Tyto would go for free flights alone, and practice various aerobatic maneuvers during different conditions.

Aedan had managed to join him in these silent flights, and imitated his exact movements, taking Jedrek's advice to heart. The Tyto didn't seem to mind this, so long as Aedan didn't talk or ask questions. Though, that changed on one particular night.

The Tyto must have wanted to test Aedan and decided to fly straight up in a similar maneuver performed while Favian was chasing him during that game. Aedan tried to stay in control despite lacking airspeed, but when he tipped down he went into an uncontrollable spin. During that bizarre circumstance, the Tyto also intentionally went into the spin and quickly explained to Aedan how to recover. Moments before colliding with the treeline, they both recovered, though, Aedan was admittedly shaken up by the fall.

But despite how the avoided disaster affected of his image, it had some merits for Aedan as well. Especially, since the Tyto seemed to join Aedan in the nearly inescapable spin to help demonstrate how to recover from. It showed the Tyto was certainly paying attention to him, and after that experience, the Tyto seemed to vow to himself to teach Aedan how to fly better.

With that, mere nights after that, for the first time in about a moon. The Barn owl, who Aedan knew as "Gowyr", was finally willing to engage in a conversation. While the Barn owl didn't openly acknowledge it, Aedan could tell the Barn owl was willing to hear what he had to say.

During this flight, all Aedan had to do was keep his position on the Barn owl's left wing. An easy task for the most part.

"After flying with you so long, I can tell you are quite the flyer." Aedan began, trying to keep his emotions in check. He wanted to just throw out as many questions as he could, but he knew he had to start off light.

"I—I was wondering, where did you learn to be such a good fighter? After that mock-battle we played, you just seemed . . . extremely skilled in fighting."

Gowyr looked at him questioningly, his response was sharp but compliant. It was clear he wanted to fix the misconception.

"Firstly, I'm not anymore of a fighter than you or anyone else in our class, I don't know where you got that idea from. Secondly, that game was just that, a game. I'm not special, nor do I have some kind of secret knowledge that makes me fight like Ezylryb from the legends. I'm just an owl that happened to caught everyone off-guard as it may seems."

Aedan stared at him, was he being modest, honest, or both? It didn't make any sense, this owl _did_ have something that made him able to beat everyone no matter the age or species. There had to be more than just luck.

"Well clearly, considering how gifted you are at flying, you must have the intention to fight—"

Gowyr asserted in, "There's a difference between flying and fighting, and I think that's where you're mixing up the two. If your question is about my flying, then yes, I do have my own way of flying. But I do not seek to learn how to fight, nor have I before."

Aedan quickly retorted with another question, "So how is it, then, that you can beat everyone in a mock game about fighting?"

Gowyr opened his beak, only to close it momentarily. The question stumped him, and Aedan thought he had caught him, only to have him responding moments later.

"Look at it this way, everyone usually goes into a fight wondering: 'how do I use my claws based on how I fly?' And people like you and the group would position your claws to where the enemy would come from. I, on the flip side, ask myself: 'how do I fly based on my weapon?'"

Aedan seemed to confused, so Gowyr elaborated.

"You see, you may think there's no difference. But there is. Under my philosophy, I fly into the position that best suits my weapon, rather than adopt my weapon to the way I'm flying. I may not be an expert on fighting, but _do not_ hover when fighting. You need to stay on the move, and always gain an advantage over your opponent. Not many owls can fight you when you're above them, things get more difficult for them if you are always moving. It's really a simple concept."

The sky was calm this early night, their final lesson was to be only a couple nights from now. As they flew on, Aedan was beginning to comprehend the idea the Barn owl had in mind. The idea that an owl can win most engagements by simply out-flying them and gaining an advantage was not commonly a talked about practice. However, he was intrigued.

"So if that is how you fly, then wouldn't you have a hard time taking down bigger owls?"

The Barn owl grinned slightly, "That's just the thing though, owls like you and me—the Barn, Spotted, and other owls of similar size are almost in a perfect place for this kind of flying. Smaller owls, like Elf owls have a far harder time dealing with wind and have less stamina, and larger owls aren't as maneuverable and nimble. I'm no combat expert, but I know for certain I can out-fly an Eagle owl and out-run a Saw-whet anytime and anywhere."

"Hmph, interesting." Aedan said simply, the Tyto was quite eager to explain things in detail. Which contradicted the way it spoke many times before, using those short-responses.

"So I take it you like flying?" Aedan asked, attempting to keep the conversation alive. The Barn owl simply nodded.

"What do you like most about flying, the fighting?"

"Oh no, I've always enjoyed the idea of flying in formation with like-minded owls who just enjoy flying. My personal favorite formation has always been a three-bird formation, I find it fitting most of the time."

"You seem to avoid the idea of fighting, do you have something against it? You are, after all, here to become a Guardian, right?"

The Barn owl didn't seem to thrilled about the inquiry, but he presented some patience.

"We're owls, we're born to kill. For me to pretend that fighting is beyond us is nothing but a lie, but perhaps the real question should be, are we meant to fly away from predators, or to become one? Do you understand the analogy?"

Aedan didn't, he wanted to, but he knew asking wouldn't yield any results. The Tyto sighed and looked off into the night sky, studying the moon with great complexion.

"I did not come here to become a Guardian, nor have I come here willing."

Aedan recoiled back slightly from his prior position in flight, he had to correct himself to retain his spot.

"What do you mean by that? Of course you had the choice to come here."

He shook his head, "There was a fire that devastated the area I was living in, I was trapped in a burning hollow when the owls from the Gateway to Hoole found me and rescued me. I told them that I was living with my parents, but because they weren't around, they brought me here, claiming that if my parents were looking for me, they would go there. I tried to leave, but they told me that I had to get through this course before I could, as they claimed I was too inexperienced to handle the world by myself. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if there's something going on that we don't know about."

For the first time, Aedan could relate to someone. It wasn't like his other friends where he simply looked to them for help in his learning, this owl was different, they were both the same age and experienced similar hardships. This owl was different, there would be many times where he would appear sad, angry, or worried. Aedan could read his emotions every night, but only just the expressions, never has Aedan really considered what may be troubling Gowyr.

Gowyr chuckled during the silence, Aedan didn't respond to what the Barn owl had said earlier, it was just too much to take in all at once. So Gowyr decided to tell one of his secrets he knew about.

"Did you know, there's actually two kinds of ways for owls like us to see our emotions?"

Aedan shook his head, interested in how the Barn owl knew Aedan was just thinking about that topic.

"Well, believe it or not, aside from the normal manner, I can get to know you by simply observing your flight. Nearly half an owl's story is told in-flight, and I think I can decipher what you or others may be thinking."

"Oh really?" Aedan remarked, not convinced.

"So tell me, what do you know about me based off my flying? Besides I'm a terrible flyer?"

"Well," he took a moment, looking carefully at Aedan's feathers and wing positioning, "from what I saw from the times you were flying with me. You're flying has a location . . . a goal, in mind, but not the direction to achieve it. You're willing to fly through any place, any storm, and with anyone, to get to it. You rely on those around you to get to wherever you intend on going, but you wish to arrive to that location alone."

Aedan's beak was wide open, there was no way in hagsmire he guessed that.

 _How did he . . ._ Aedan just didn't know what to say, this owl was nearly spot on with his assessment. He wanted to find a way to get to research the "Others" without hindrance, but he didn't know how. As Gowyr said, he was willing to go through anything to acquire the information he needed. It was scary to think an owl as young as him could read him like a book.

Aedan wanted to see if Gowyr do the same to the others.

"Hey! What about the rest of my friends? Can you do the same thing with them."

He took a moment, before recalling something, which he brought up almost immediately. "About that, I must warn you, I've studied one of your friends, and their flying is nothing but an artificial sham. I can't recall who it is, but whoever it was, they clearly have something to hide . . . watch you neck."

He began to make a banking turn, but stopped moments before turning to add.

"No, really Aedan. Watch your back, there's something going on here, and you and I both see it. Don't discuss anything about me to your group or anyone else, I think if you do that, we'll both be fine."

He then turned back towards the Gateway to Hoole. Aedan was yet again unnerved, it was starting to become a nightly occurrence of threats and even more questions than before. It was kind of funny that the Barn owl knew his name, but didn't know who that "friend" was that was acting strangely.

It was at that moment, that Aedan realized, it seemed Gowyr was attempting to get information out of him too. It was hard to believe that such an owl was capable of hiding his goals so well. The thought lingered in Aedan's mind.

 _So this entire conversation with Gowyr was . . . intended?_


	5. A Fateful Decision

**A/N: Slightly behind schedule, but got on it as soon as I could! Here's another chapter for you all! I really appreciate seeing the reviews from you guys; thinking about them was the only thing that kept me focused on this chapter rather than playing Civilization III (Great game, by the way, it's about as nostalgic as the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series for me). Anyhow, I'd like to hear from you guys! I know I'm a little all over the place most of the time, but I do really like to hear what you all have to say! Well anyways, I'll be around and you all know where to find me!**

* * *

" _He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger."_

 _~ Confucius_

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

 _A Fateful Decision_

Life proceeded normally for Aedan—or at least—for what Aedan would consider to be normal. Such nights at the Gateway to Hoole typically consisted of educational adherence and personal endeavors, with added, but random instances of unusual contacts on a provisional basis. In other cases, there were many normal nights with his group in which they would entertain certain ideas and plans; the most significant of which was the prospect of an interlocked association with each other—in other words—they create their own de facto equivalent to the infamous "Band" created during the legends. However, Aedan had noted that such plans were usually discussed in a satirical fashion, holding no say in what they all truly planned for in the future.

In truth, Aedan was quite keen on considering the possibility of such an arrangement, especially if the alliance were to ever be realized. If they were in such a close, bonded relationship, then what obstacle could challenge them, but more importantly, himself? They had gotten this far together, so why would they separate once the class was over? Surely, with everything they could achieve, this coalition would be capable of going all the way to the Great Tree of Ga'Hoole! And why stop there?

The thought of his friends working towards their unified common goals excited him. If only he could convince the group of this . . . then he would have a shot at his future career. Who would stop him then?

Tomorrow was to be the big night for all of them, as that was the night they would be setting out for their final test in Ambala. All they had to do was fly there, and perform a variety of other task using any skills they had developed. Cooperating with each other was also allowed, much to Aedan's relief. The teacher would be along with them, and it was expected to be a fun experience despite the importance of the activity. No one would fret about it, not him, not the group, probably not even the class. It was to be a quick and easy trip to satisfy the initial training requirements that were needed to advance further.

In the meantime, tonight was rather uneventful as class was cut short, and the time used was only for discussing the trip in detail. Nothing appeared off to Aedan until later that night . . .

Strolling down one of the corridors, Aedan was suddenly yanked into a nearby hollow; his voice subdued by a wing in the process.

It only took a moment to realize that the owl who had done the unsanctioned move was Jedrek, the Brown fish owl who Aedan had first met when arriving at the Gateway to Hoole. Aedan was moments away from shrieking in distress before Jedrek quickly calmed him down.

"Listen lad, I'm not here to do anything rash, I only need you to just hear me out, alright?"

Aedan hesitated, before nodding slowly. Upon nodding, the wing Jedrek had over Aedan's beak was then lifted away in consensus with the exchange. Aedan was shivering from fear, whatever Jedrek had came here to say, it was urgent. The fact Jedrek had to forcibly bring him in was just another indicator of how serious the situation had become. But what was it that was of concern?

"I'm sorry for the informalities, but this is the only way I can get to you without risking our lives, and I have to be brief."

"Wait, what you do you mean? There's a threat out there?" Aedan quickly asked, his dread intensifying as the moments passed.

"I can't explain it now, but you and the others are no longer safe here, and something is going to happen soon. I don't know who or what is behind it, but I do know that there is a danger out there right now."

He gulped before continuing in a hasten voice.

"I can get you to safety before anything does occur. We can leave tomorrow just before sunset, and we'll be on our way to Ambala, under their protection as we figure out who and what is behind this."

"Bu—wait, how do you know there's a threat?"

"Just last night, an entire class of chawlets in the navigation chaw went missing on their trip to Ambala, this hasn't raised any concerns to the officials at the Gateway to Hoole, but I think that the class's disappearance was not incidental."

He began pleading to Aedan, his concern for him became abundantly clear.

"Please Aedan, I know you still don't trust me after my response when you asked me about your father, but I swear I'll tell you everything if you come with me to Ambala. I have a really bad feeling that they may be after your class as well. I don't want to see you end up missing along with the rest of them."

The gravity of the situation began to dawn on Aedan, it was indeed possible that the class disappearance Jedrek spoke of could happen to them as well. Escaping to Ambala would be a natural choice, as it was Aedan's home region, and it would be easy to explain the circumstances with Jedrek leading them. Of course, Aedan was skeptical of the threat, and had no reason to go with this owl should there indeed be one. What is more, there was still one important question to Aedan that had to be answered.

"What about the rest of my class and my friends?"

The response Aedan would receive is quite blunt, "There's too little time, and we there could be someone around who is listening and intends harm. That's why I'm telling you here in this hollow. If we leave tomorrow, we could perhaps start looking into the disappearance of the other class, or start looking into a career in the Ambalian military. In any case lad, we're out of time, meet up with me at sunset if you want safety. I can't stress enough how dangerous it is right now. Please, consider it, for our own sake."

The last phrase gave Aedan a chilling response, that exact phrase was what Aedan found disturbing about Jedrek. Despite the credibility Jedrek had, Aedan didn't believe him enough to warrant an immediate reaction to his request. Not for a single moment did he think he was going to follow this owl just over this far-fetched conspiracy; the thought of leaving his friends for him was quickly dismissed by his head.

His gizzard, however, warned him to do the contrary . . .

* * *

In the air, heading to the south of the Gateway to Hoole, Aedan was partaking in the nightly free flight with Gowyr as they normally did after class. Aedan thought that such a flight would take his mind off of what Jedrek had warned, but that was not to be. Gowyr's own expression mirrored that of Aedan's, the trademark paranoia emitted by the Tyto were far-reaching in its effects; an atmosphere of worry and fret were all this flight brought about. And to top things off, for the first time since Aedan had known him, Gowyr was the first to initiate the conversation. Clearly, he had something deeply impactful he had to get off his mind.

And he did . . .

"I'm leaving the Gateway of Hoole tomorrow night."

Silence filled the air, Aedan was not expecting the flight to go like this. After all the time he had spent with him, all those flights. Gowyr was to just leave him and the others like that?

"What?" Aedan gasped, he did not count on the Barn owl to separate from the group so soon.

"There's too much going on behind the scenes to ignore, you and I see this. To fly here and pretend everything is going to be alright is just asking for us to be caught off guard. I have too much to lose to be engaging in such risk, especially here at the most observed place in S'yrthghar. My intentions are to leave here as soon as possible and fly back to my home region in the forest of Tyto. I don't care about what I do then, I just want to be away from here and all these threats. But . . ."

He paused, before looking directly at Aedan, the next part of his statement clearly has to do with him.

"I need someone I can trust, someone who can fly on my wing and stay there. Right now, Aedan, you're the only owl I can trust to do this. I know it's selfish for me to ask of you, but I would want you to act as my protector—I guess you could consider yourself a guardian if you want. We would fly to the Kingdom of Tyto, and work together to live out our lives as allies, brothers even. How ever you wish to view it, I just need someone who's there for me and watching my back, and I'll be watching yours. Then, after awhile, we can start seeking our own goals as beneficiaries to each other. I still don't know what you're exactly looking for, but, I'm sure it's something we can seek to find if you're with me."

He blinked, before retracting on a prior point.

". . . Of course, despite being a somewhat reserved owl, we can seek additional allies to help us in our goals. A win-win situation for the two of us, you can find your objective, and I can decide what I want to do with my life. I'd take it as a reasonable offer if I were to consider it, but of course, you may have different plans."

Silence filled the air again, Aedan took in what he had just heard. There was much to consider in the vague plans Gowyr was speaking of, as Gowyr wasn't known to spill the details of any topic. In fact, Gowyr still didn't know Aedan knew his name, as Aedan never referred to him as such.

All was considered by the two of them, but Gowyr decided to mention one last thing.

"If, for any reason, you decide against this offer and leave for the final inspection of the class. I'll abandon my plans and follow you, as I can't go out alone. I trust you enough to make the right decision, and . . . if necessary, I'll continue being apart of the class. I'm sure, with your judgment, you'll make the right decision."

Aedan smiled slightly at the comment, but slowly retreated back to his own thoughts. He was stuck between two choices now: Jedrek or Gowyr, Ambala or Tyto, getting information about his father or learning more about the Barn owl.

The possibility of leaving with Jedrek and having Gowyr follow was the first thing Aedan thought about, before realizing Gowyr would be unlikely to follow. In addition, Aedan didn't fully trust Jedrek enough to risk bringing Gowyr along with him as well.

Aedan's gizzard didn't hold Gowyr to the same light as Jedrek, but he certainly believed in his mind that Gowyr was the better of the two choices. The problem with Gowyr is that he's too determined to hold back information, and Aedan didn't know him enough to fully trust his judgment either. He was still undetermined of which path to follow, and he was in need of guidance for the right path.

There was only one owl he could look up to for such an answer.

* * *

"Hmm? I beg your pardon?" Kolina asked, cocking her head to the side in her typical fashion to express confusion.

"I came to you for advice, um . . . there's two owls that are telling me something bad is going to happen this trip, and that I should go with them to avoid it."

Aedan looked up at Kolina, her attention to him was well-placed, so he continued.

"One wants me to go to Ambala, the other wants me to go to Tyto. I'm uncertain as to what I should do, and I know you'll have the answer I need."

Since the beginning the older female Barn owl, Kolina, was Aedan's spiritual guardian in practice. She was nearly always there to help him when he needed it, giving him advice, and an extra opinion that never seemed rushed or forced. To Aedan, Kolina was the only owl he could put his absolute trust to for any problem he comes across.

The question seemed to prove difficult for her to answer. She could only gaze down at her talons while contemplating, every so often she would tap them on the floor, as if some answer would arise out of doing so. She sighed, before saying in a sincere and honest voice.

"I don't know, Aedan. I can't answer your own decisions for you, that would be wrong of me to point you to a random owl and tell you to follow him or her."

She paused and looked at Aedan directly, seeing his urgency for some kind of an answer. She couldn't help seeing him be left without direction, and she could already sense him about to ask if she felt any danger about the trip to happen tomorrow night.

"If you're wondering, I too, have a bad feeling about tomorrow. It's not something I know for certain or have some kind of basis to prove, I just feel it deep down in my gizzard. I'm sure that's where you feel it too, right?"

Aedan nodded, he thought he was the only one who used their gizzard to purvey feelings.

She went on, "Now—and this is only my opinion—if I had to choose between those two owls you've mentioned, I would go with neither of them."

Aedan blinked, his face twisted in confusion.

"Wait, what? Why not?" He asked, this was the first time he second-guessed on a point made by Kolina.

See responded, "I can't say I know those owls' personalities for certain, but for them to warn you of a threat and tell you to follow them only raises the question of whether or not they actually are trying to help you."

Aedan didn't say a word, he didn't catch on to what she was trying to say until moments later. His expression remained in a shocked state as he said slowly.

"You're saying . . . they could be trying to draw me into a trap?"

She did not signify if the conclusion was true or not, but she added. "They could be trying to help you, but I find it way to coincidental that two owls came up to you at the same time with very similar request. It seems odd to me, what do you think?"

Aedan clicked his beak, she was indeed right on that point. It was rather strange to have two different owls with separate agendas try and convince him to leave his home off some notion of a fear or threat of some kind. He could certainly agree with what she was saying.

"Alright then, so in that case Kolina, what should I do?"

She rubbed her beak against her front feathers, an impulsive reaction from the looks of it. She responded in confidence.

"Well Aedan, I think you know what's best for you, don't you?"

He didn't respond, but he had an idea at what she was getting at.

"It's quite simple Aedan, you don't have to choose, you can simply stick with the course you've already set and go after your goals without anyone to stop you. Even if someone or something did try to do something, me, you, and all of our friends together will be able to overcome it. I believe if we all stick together, everything will be alright, and we would have nothing to fear despite what all these owls have to say about you and your safety."

Aedan couldn't help himself, the very idea played into exactly what he wanted to have happen. The idea of a group of individuals who looked after each other, defeat any obstacle or challenge, and rise to their greatness by applying their own strengths to cover their own weaknesses. She clearly had that idea in mind, and so did he. While his gizzard and skepticism still feared the unknown, his heart and commitment favored the offer Kolina made—the simplest course of action: sticking with the group and Gateway to Hoole for his own future.

The idea was all Aedan needed to hear, he had gotten the answer he needed.

"Thank you Kolina, I don't know what I would have done without you." He extended his wings and wrapped them around her, the gesture was met in kind with Kolina doing the same.

"Of course Aedan, I'll always be by your side when you need me the most."

* * *

The once brisk mood of the Gateway of Hoole began to die down as night shifted over to day. Many owls retreated to their hollows, savoring their precious time for the night to inevitably come tomorrow. Most at this point were already in deep slumber, but one owl could not for the life of him sleep.

Aedan, with the rest of his group already asleep in their hollow, was the only one left awake. The troubling reality of his current situation prevented him from enjoying a good day's rest. It just wasn't possible for him to set aside the seriousness of such conditions, he knew it would be _the_ most important decision in his life.

 _What do I do?_ He wondered grudgingly, his fatigued eyes grazing at the floor as he laid uncomfortably in his nest. He needed to make his final decision if he is to ever put this thought behind him.

Does he choose knowing more about his father at Ambala, at the expense of following Jedrek, a near-complete stranger? What about going along with Gowyr and securing their own paths, together, at the risk of an uncertain and undefined future? Or, does he stick with the group, and follow his own ambitions, with the possible threat to come for them and endanger them all? _(1)_

This wasn't just his future at stake, it was everyone else's along with his. To pretend that this choice was nothing would be a delusion, but there was more to it than just a yes or no answer. Every choice had their own merits, their own ways to entice Aedan to follow them. The question was, what would be the right choice? Could he afford losing everything? Could he live without knowing his own past? Or is a certain owl worth sacrificing his own career to better understand?

All his organs: the gizzard, brain, and heart, gave him a radically different answers.

After awhile of thinking, Aedan finally managed to close his eyes so he could be embraced in his innocent slumber.

He had his answer . . .

 _Dusk . . ._

Aedan stared off into the distant forest, the lush, green landscape seemed unending from where he stood. The occasional gust of wind pushed against his back; as if the tailwind was telling him to follow his fate. His claws scratched the surface of the take-off pad ever so lightly, he wanted to just grip it and hang there for the rest of the night, but he knew he couldn't. His wings felt stiff and did not wish to move, something within him didn't want to follow through with this.

He took in several deep breaths before leaping off the branch and into the air, his wings extended moments later, his destined flight has now begun.

"Wherever the wind may take me . . ." he said drearily to himself, there was no going back now.

Seconds after getting airborne, a Barn owl joined his wing . . . Aedan looked at the Tyto before nodding, the motion was imitated.

. . . then, after a few moments, a Great Horned followed by another Spotted owl joined the formation. All of them with shiny training claws over their talons. The rest of the class was following behind them, as the flight now was directed to the north, towards Ambala.

The Barn owl Aedan nodded to looked back at him, and said.

"I'm glad to see you've came along with us, I'm sure you made the right choice."

The soothing voice of Kolina wasn't the same to Aedan now, it did not relax in the same way it has done before. He looked back at the Gateway to Hoole, swearing to himself he'll make it back with the rest of them.

Little did he know, this would be the last time most of them would ever see the Great Tree of S'yrthghar . . .

* * *

 **Side note:**

 _(1):_ **Perhaps in the future, I may do something that involves what would have happen if Aedan were to go down those different paths. But . . . I think it's best we focus on the story for now, eh? After all, I'm sure you're all curious as to what's going to happen next chapter.**


	6. Into the Unknown

**A/N: I . . . well, where do I start? It's been a full month since I last updated, and I'm sure many are annoyed by my sudden disappearance. But, I guess I can at least offer an explanation. I don't know if it was ever mentioned, but my internet was cut off all throughout the first week after I updated chapter five, and I was left with no time to work on it, or seriously focus on any other projects. Then, soon after (once I got my internet back), I was hit hard by many life events; nothing too major, of course, but enough to cause me to stop writing for the moment. Then, at that point, I lost my motivation. For me, writing is quite difficult to do on even a weekly basis, and I can never get done with all the edits I want. But that's my fault entirely, and something I have to work on; I should mention, whenever I talk about this kind of stuff I never direct it towards you all. I can say, however, that what got me working on this chapter was my commitment to appease those of you that actually want to see more out of this story; you guys are the reason why I'm still here, and without you all I wouldn't really be still working on this. I just wish I can express my gratitude further.**

 **Now, I can say there is many edits I need to do (in not just this chapter), but I do plan on either polishing my story later, or getting some kind of editor/beta reader to help me out. But while I'm looking, I won't be bothering you all as you all are likely just as busy as myself.**

 **Now can I say when will be the next time I update? I'll be truthful and say I cannot, it could be within ten days or an entire month as before. I guess it all comes down to my motivation.**

 **I'm running on fumes here, so I guess I'll leave it at that. If there's anything you all want to discuss, hit me up over the PM, or put your thoughts down VIA review. I'd most certainly appreciate it, but it's fine if you don't—I kind of deserve nothing after so long of a wait. Until next time!**

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" _Everything is temporary; emotions, thoughts, people, and scenery. Do not become attached, just flow with it."_

 _~ Unknown_

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 **Chapter Six**

 _Into the Unknown_

"We're doing good, if we maintain this course we should head straight to our destination in no time." Aedan announced to the group, his mood was far more optimistic than before.

"Ah, excellent!" Kolina said delightedly. "I'll take lead now that we've established where we need to fly and I'll keep us on course."

With that said, Aedan adjusted his position in the formation, allowing for Kolina to slide into his former spot at the lead position. Now Aedan, Vaughn and Favian flew along Kolina's flanks, the rest of the class was a short distance behind them.

The trip to the western portion of Ambala was expected to be a short one. Tailwinds were strong and consistent throughout the flight, meaning the flight to the destination should be without difficulty or require any serious consideration.

As for returning to the Gateway to Hoole with such tailwinds . . . was to be a different story. The once helpful tailwind would suddenly become a stubborn headwind, making such a flight back to the tree much more challenging and time-consuming. The only thing they could do to counteract this was hope that the wind dies down or else they would have no other alternative.

Kolina gazed back at Aedan, her curiosity had gotten to her. She got his attention and pointed out something.

"I think we're in good care, you see those two owls flying alongside the teacher?"

Aedan twisted his head back completely to catch sight of where the teacher was located. He saw the two owls she was referring to, both of which wore gleaming battleclaws. Unlike their own training claws, it was apparent theirs were actually meant to protect, and, if need be, kill.

"Yeah, you mean the two with the battleclaws?"

Kolina nodded, "Indeed, I think it's nice we have them around for our trip. Makes me feel much safer, how about you?"

"I guess . . ." Aedan said simply.

Aedan wasn't sure on how to view it. He did feel more comfortable with the escorts, as that would mean the Gateway to Hoole was aware on the matter. But at the same time, having escorts was a cause for concern, as it confirmed the suspicion that they were indeed in trouble—or at least, they needed some protection for just a trip to Ambala.

Kolina looked like she wanted to add something, but she kept it to herself. Her once pompous burst of confidence faded into relatively inclined reservation. The flight wasn't going exactly as she had hoped for. But with such troubling feelings mixed in the group, it was hard to ignore.

They flew on in relative silence for a bit, until Favian asserted in a question that most of them had yet to consider.

"Hey, has anyone seen Vara?"

Aedan and the rest of them quickly scanned the area around them, her presence was nowhere to be found. The disappearance seemed most unusual to them, given how Vara didn't mention she would not be going along with the trip. The fact they hadn't noticed it until now was also quite disturbing to Aedan, how long had she been gone?

"That's odd, I didn't see her on the takeoff branch either." Kolina mentioned.

"She also wasn't in her nest when I got up.." Vaughn added, glancing from person to person sporadically.

"Strange . . ." Favian muttered, "I would've thought she'd at least tell us if she wasn't coming along."

Aedan then remembered how Gowyr had mentioned that he was leaving the Gateway to Hoole as well. While the topic was on Vara, Aedan couldn't help but think that the two cases were coincidentally linked to each other in some way. Such thoughts, however, weren't expanded upon. Aedan's focus on other matters redirected him away from the possibility and back towards the conversation.

"In any case, I'm sure she has her own reasons for not coming with us. It's best we don't overthink it." Kolina answered finally, wishing to set aside the matter for the time being.

Again, the group confined themselves from speaking any further. All of their attention then diverted back towards their front, studying the vast wilderness below to appease their own curiosity, and to mentally remember it for their trip back. This method was one of two ways of navigating back to the Gateway to Hoole, with the other technique using the constellations in the night sky.

Should both methods be unachievable on their trip, then their only other resort is the Aedan way of handling things: flying around aimlessly until you happen to come across the location, or find a critical landmark to provide some direction.

For that matter, Aedan would most certainly rather use the newfound skills he has learned over at the Gateway to Hoole over his own former incompetence when it came to navigation, or any task for that matter.

Aedan slowly lost track of time, he didn't know if just a minute passed or an hour. All he did know, was that they were still on course and the tailwind had yet to subside. However, something caught his attention during this long period of inactivity.

Glancing to his right, he was spooked by a unexpected arrival—a Barn owl was flying alongside his starboard wing, noticeably carrying a personal satchel and training claws. It wasn't just any Tyto, however, Aedan knew who it was: Gowyr.

Aedan's jolt of surprise from Gowyr caught the other's' attention as well, all of them taking notice within the very second. But while Aedan recognized him immediately, Gowyr acted as if he had never met Aedan in his life. Maybe there was a reason for that; maybe there wasn't. Gowyr wasn't an owl any of them could understand, especially for Aedan.

 _Why did he come back?_ Aedan wondered, he was sure Gowyr made it explicitly clear he was leaving the Gateway to Hoole in favor of the Kingdom of Tyto the previous night.

Then Aedan remembered how Gowyr had also mentioned he would tag along with Aedan should he not take up his own request. It seems Gowyr took that promise to heart.

There was a rather uncomfortable hesitation between the Tyto and the rest of the group. Everyone expected the latter to be the first to make an introduction or statement, but they merely looked at each other—unsure and heedful. The Tyto had no intention of introducing himself, and no one else really wanted to challenge him on that either. That was, until Favian spoke up and derided the young Barn owl.

"Well, are you going say something or just pretend you can't you hear us?"

The Barn owl cast a unwelcoming glare and responded accordingly much to everyone's surprise. "I'll speak freely once I feel like it, just because you ask me a question doesn't mean it warrants you an answer."

The backlash wasn't well received to Favian, but he could only restrain himself from putting the youngling in his place. The only response he would give is his own indistinctive rambling. His feathers would have been standing on end had he not been in flight, but all of them could tell he was not going to take that kind of response lightly.

Suddenly, Favian remarked furiously. "You know it's only respectful to at least take someone's requests seriously."

The Barn owl shot back, equally determined, "Then you should have no problem respecting my own request: silence."

Favian nearly exploded in his own anger; the audacity of such a small and feeble owl to talk to him in such a way nearly sent him haywire. It would take him quite a while to cool down and forget the Barn owl's comments. He gave up shortly after.

Aedan didn't want to interject himself into the matter, as Gowyr clearly wasn't in the mood to appease anyone at the moment. Perhaps part of that blame could be shifted to Favian, for his assertive comment. Maybe Aedan could have affected Gowyr in such a way, as Aedan himself was the reason why Gowyr didn't go on the trip.

But surely Gowyr had the choice to leave without him . . . it's not like Aedan could _that_ important to Gowyr, right?

Someone spoke up again, but this time it was Kolina, and her inquiry was far more relaxed in comparison to Favian's previous remark.

"So, if I may ask, what would we have to do in order to talk to you?"

Aedan didn't know why, but the moment she asked that Gowyr seemed different. For such a similar question as the one asked by Favian early, Gowyr took it quite differently than expected. His eyes were initially skeptical towards her, as before, but then transitioned over to something more genuine to the modesty of Kolina's good intentioned question. He ditched the hostile stance in favor of a more cautious approach, saying slowly.

"I'm sure with enough incentive I could engage in some brief dialogue for the time being, it is going to be a long flight after all." His soft smile was hard for them not to notice, as it seemed like he actually wanted to speak freely now, but wanted something in return.

Everyone looked at each other, the sudden change in mood had caught most of them off guard. Only Kolina herself was able to respond with a follow up question.

"If that is true, then would learning more about us be acceptable?"

The Tyto didn't seem capable of declining such an offer, as it appeared he was just as interested learning about them as they were to him. While he didn't answer the question verbally, it was quite implied he would be willing to do as described.

But in a weird way, Kolina had a catch to the offer that would better suit them.

"So how about this, we each ask you one question, and you ask each of us one question in return. Seem fair enough?"

There was a moment of hesitation, as if the Tyto was trying to figure out the hidden meaning behind this particular kind of inquiry; however, too short on time, he submitted himself to the arrangement and gave a quick nod. The group then scrambled to think of questions to throw at him, however, most of their questions were just out of personal interest.

Ironically, Favian was the first to begin, his own attitude was rather unappealing towards the youngling, but still civil. "Is there a reason why you act so unpredictable when around us?"

The Barn owl immediately had an answer, "Of course, there's a reason for everything, you know."

"That doesn't answer the question!" Favian protested, not satisfied with the vague response.

The Barn owl grinned wickedly, he knew he could get back at Favian for their earlier confrontation,

"If I recall correctly, you asked if there a reason for why I act in such a way, and I answered it exactly as you've asked me to; yes, there is, but I do not need to go into why I do it, as you did not specify."

The Barn owl's grin disappeared, as he focused directly on the much larger Great Horned owl.

"Now my question for you, Favian is it?" Favian nodded hesitantly, "is going to be quite simple: where were you born?"

Favian, wishing to one up the Tyto, answered in a mocking tone, "In a hollow of course, because every owl is usually born inside of a hollow."

Aedan found it hard to suppress his churring, as did the rest of them. Only the Barn owl seemed to remain somewhat serious. Despite the nature of the response, the Tyto didn't seem at all swayed by the response.

"I should've saw that coming from you, but, you did sort of answer my question." Gowyr then smiled in that same wicked manner, clearly having something up his sleeve, "Of course, I'm going to take a wild guess and say you were born somewhere in the Beyond the Beyond, is that so?"

The guess set Favian aback, not even trying to hide his astonishment at the response. So impactful in fact, it caused him to wilf to half his size in flight. It was all the answer everyone needed, but out of all the places, the Beyond? How could the Tyto have guessed that?

"Judging by your response, I'm going to say my guess was spot-on, and here's how I knew. The first time I encountered you was during the little game we played, with you being on the people who went after me. Your flying tells me a lot about you, particularly your vertical flying."

The Barn owl went on to explain, "It seemed normal to you to fly in such a manner, indicating that the place you used to fly around allowed you to do such maneuvers. Henceforth, the Beyond is the most likely area for you to live in due to the fact the volcanoes there provide thermals the likes of which I've never experienced before. As such, I can tell you've flown around them many times, as you're used to using the thermals to fly to a much higher altitude than normally permitted."

He concluded, "So, I knew exactly where you used to live just by your flying. The only reason why I asked that question was just to mess with you, and I'm sure you'll have to explain to everyone here exactly how you flew from the Beyond to the Gateway to Hoole during another time. I'd most certainly be interested to hear it myself."

Favian, still shocked, began to calm down from the unusually accurate guess. He merely nodded at the last statement, not wishing to speak to the Tyto any further. It was clear, this Barn owl scares him greatly. Aedan could tell, by the way Favian was now looking at him; not with contempt, but flat out fear at what the Tyto could know.

Aedan was sure, had the Barn owl figured out Favian's parents names, Favian would have gone yeep the moment it would have been said.

The Tyto shifted his attention over to Vaughn, it appeared he had a relatively quick question he wanted to ask.

"Is there anyone you love?" He asked somewhat ambiguously. The question seemed odd to the Tyto, so he responded to the best of his ability.

"Well . . . yes, I think." He clicked his beak quickly before continuing, "I love my sibling, for example. My parents, too. I'm not too sure what exactly you expected to hear aside from that."

Vaughn laughed, clearly there was something the Tyto must have missed. "Let me rephrase that, is there anyone you have an interest in? You know exactly at what I'm getting at."

The Tyto wobbled his head around nervously, before responding. "That's an additional question, and by the rules we've setup, I won't answer it."

Gowyr didn't seem the most comfortable around such a question, Aedan noticed, as he was quick to shut it down rather than consider it.

"Now for your question, since you seem to be quite focus on such relationships, is there someone you like?"

Vaughn frowned, but responded clearly, "Not yet, but I know for a fact you certainly have someone already in your sights. I can tell, and I think all of us can tell as well."

The Tyto sighed in frustration and moved on from it. He didn't respond to the accusation Vaughn had made, knowing it would just make a fool out of himself. He was quite captivated about the next individual he was to discuss with. Perhaps one of the main reasons why he started this dialogue in the first place.

Kolina, somewhat arbitrarily, asked with that same confident smile. "Do you have any idea what you plan on doing after this trip?"

The question, out of all of them—even the one Vaughn asked—wasn't as difficult for the Tyto to answer as this one. The only thing he could do was sigh and take a few moments to think about it. Aedan knew exactly why the question proved to be so difficult for Gowyr.

Gowyr's original plan was to leave the Gateway to Hoole and return back to his home region. Yet, he never did specify what exactly he was looking for or wanted to accomplish. Aedan could only assume Gowyr had kept it to himself, or possibly, doesn't have a plan to begin with.

Judging by his response, Aedan went with the latter.

"No, no I do not. I don't know if I'll be waking up in my nest tomorrow or some place else. I s'pose that's the beauty of living freely: choice is not determined by fate or destiny, choices are made at one's own discretion."

"Hmph, an interesting analogy for an equally interesting owl." Kolina complemented, clearly impressed. "Now I believe you have your own question to ask me?"

Gowyr gulped, "Of course, um . . . well," he sighed, "what do you plan on doing after this trip? Is there anything you had in mind?"

The question changed her expression, but not in a bad way. Her smile didn't fade, rather intensified. It was clear she harbored some deep feelings on the matter.

"I have no such plans in life to go by, as you've so wonderfully stated. I'm only here for the experience, not for the results. It's much like flying you see, I only care about the flight itself, not the destination."

And for once Gowyr seemed to agree with someone, he held a very, very similar outlook as Kolina. She couldn't have given a better answer even if she tried.

Now, Gowyr's eyes fell upon Aedan's, awaiting his own inquiry from the equally young Spotted owl.

Aedan could tell Gowyr was comfortable around him, the way he looked at him showed nothing but trust and respect. While not visible to the others, Aedan could see it, and Gowyr himself was aware of it.

Now Aedan was thinking of what to ask him, there was so much to ask—too much even. It overwhelmed him, but then he realized the one question that has been bugging him since the beginning: Gowyr's actual name was true. Something in his gizzard desired to ask the question in person, to see if what he knew about him was actually true.

So close Aedan had been, the words nearly escaped his beak . . . only to be overshadowed by those of yet another rival.

"My question for this youngling would be; what's in the satchel?"

Everyone turned their heads to the source of the new, feminine voice. It turned out to be none other than Vara, the last member of the group to arrive.

Such an arrival would've been well received, had it not been for the instantaneous change in moods of Gowyr, who quickly responded in his previously dreaded hostile manner.

"Personal belongings, and where've you been all this time? Showing up now is quite unusual and requires explanation."

Vara only giggled, she found the Barn owl's temper to be amusing, "If you must know, I was visiting relatives in Ambala, I figured I would meet you all on your way here. And for my follow up question, why must you take your personal belongings on a trip that only takes less than a night?"

"I've stated the rules is only one inquiry per individual, and your alibi doesn't quite match up. What relatives of yours would live in Ambala?"

"A question for a question, I'm not answering unless you do: why did you bring along your belongings?"

The two Barn owls glared at each furiously, their obsidians eyes burning into each other as if they saw a reflection of themselves. Their wills were forced upon each other, expecting the other to crack wide open and submit to the other's demand. The group only watched in confusion, Aedan and Kolina glanced at each other momentarily, before returning their attention to the two Tytos.

Out of everyone, Kolina was perhaps the most confused at the situation between the two. She could look at Gowyr for a few fleeting moments, before switching her attention to Vara. After a few repetitions, she quipped.

"Well, I'm sure some night we'll all look back upon this very night and laugh at how young and innocent we were. I'm sure there's much in store for us in the future."

 _And indeed she was right._

Gowyr sighed abruptly, before conceding from the stare-down. "Let's just get this flight over with shall we? Our little 'talk' is over." He cast a final glance towards Aedan before looking back in front of him, everyone retreated to their own inner thoughts, analyzing what they had learned in the past several minutes of discussion.

The flight continued for some time in that same common silence. That was until Gowyr banked over slightly to catch a glimpse behind him, what he observed disturbed him greatly.

"Uh . . . guys." Everyone looked back at him, his voice was not the most assuring, "where's the rest of the class?"

Aedan quickly looked completely rearward, only to make a stark realization: the class was indeed missing from their previous position behind them; gone and without a trace.

"Are we lost!?" Vaughn asked in terror, the last thing anyone wanted to be was missing in the wilderness of Ambala.

Aedan shook his head, he was absolutely sure his calculations were correct. "No, we can't be! We're nearly right over where we are suppose to be . . . it has to be the class that took the wrong course! They wouldn't leave us out here by ourselves!"

Then there was a noise to their high left, clearly an owl from how little sound its wing beats made.

"Oh thank Glaux, Guardians! You've arrived just in time to find us!" The sharply robust voice called out to them.

Then, four owls of different species formed up around them; two of which were carrying actual battleclaws. The one that had spoke earlier was flying to their front left side, he was one of the two owls with battleclaws. Being an enormous Eagle owl, it was hard to not notice him.

None of them responded, they were deeply confused by these owls' arrival. Was this a part of the test? They certainly knew they were coming, and had referred to them as "Guardians". Aedan wanted to gather up the courage to ask, but his nervousness got to the best of him. He could only look back at Gowyr, who was quite distressed by their appearance; shifting his attention back and forth between the owls on all sides. His face only showed resentment and fear.

The Eagle owl that had spoken earlier came closer to them, apparently noticing their confusion, and whispered. "I know this seems odd, but it's just what we're suppose to do when younglings are taking this test. You are the Gateway to Hoole class that we're suppose to meet up with, correct?"

They nodded slowly, unsure of what to do or say. The teacher had not mentioned they would encounter owls in route, but perhaps that was to add to the surprise factor. It was a test, after all.

The Eagle owl smiled at the confirmation, and said, "Great! Now all we have to do is head west, and we'll be at our destination. It'll be a short flight, so all you all have to do is follow us, and we'll get you there."

Without much direction, they had no real choice and had to take their word for it. Kolina looked back at everyone and offered a nod of assurance, she waited until everyone did the same. Something didn't seem right about their current course.

Vaughn flew closer to Aedan, before whispering. "To the west? Of Ambala? Isn't that where the Canyonlands are?"

At where they were now, Aedan knew it was indeed on course to the Canyonlands, but he believed they weren't heading there. Perhaps they were to be on the outskirts of the border between it and Ambala.

"Yes, but I think we'll be right near it, not actually at it."

Vaughn gulped, "I guess we'll find out soon."

Aedan tried to stay optimistic, but has the minutes passed, the more and more clear it was. They weren't stopping at Ambala. Very soon, the once green landscape transitioned over to a rocky wasteland, with no sign of life above or on the ground. It was confirmed, something was going on.

There was no way the Gateway to Hoole authorized a trip this deep into the Canyonlands. It didn't make any sense, the Canyonlands wasn't meant for owls to explore or live, it was a inhabitable region.

Then, almost all at once, Aedan realized the scope of their mistake. The words of Jedrek returned to him, those warnings and concerns echoed across his brain.

Perhaps the most significant of such, was the mentioning of a chaw's disappearance just the night before . . .

Aedan turned his head around to Gowyr's quickly, both of their eyes were wide open in terror; as they both realized the true, hideous intentions of the four owls around them. Aedan could see Gowyr's chest breath in and out rapidly, his instincts were about to kick in; and even Aedan could read him like a book.

 _He's going to make a break for it._ Aedan realized, before glancing back at the rest of the group.

Everyone seemed to be in sync, they all read each other, and even the owls around them could sense something was up.

The sight of the rest of the class below them and with their own group of owls surrounding them caused some minor hesitation; but in their gizzards, they knew what was transpiring was not what they originally intended to be here for.

Then, all at once, there was a scurry of feathers. Uncohesive yelling and screeches followed, with the blurs of where owls once flew quickly faded away and ended up somewhere else as the panic ensued. Dazed and confused, Aedan didn't have time to react as he felt a pair of talons wrap around his wings by none other than that Eagle owl who had spoken earlier. The tip of its battleclaws scratched at the edges of Aedan's wings, cutting them slightly, only for the claws to disappear suddenly moments later.

A howl of pain was exerted by the owl above him, as he recoiled away from Aedan with a gashing wound marked on its face; bleeding out terribly as it attempted to regain its own awareness.

Aedan's senses finally caught up with him, and he caught sight of Favian flying off hurriedly in some direction. Having no other choice, Aedan mindlessly followed.

Too much had happened for Aedan to comprehend, all he could do now was focus on Favian's blood-tipped training claws. The ones he had made himself to look like training claws, but actually lack the blunt tip to make them actually usable.

Aedan kept gasping for air rapidly, turning his head back every several seconds to see if anyone was following him. His wavering breaths grabbed for oxygen, and his wings flapped for dear life in order to gain as much speed as possible.

Everything turned inside out for Aedan and his only purpose at that moment was to survive.


	7. An Unheralded Enemy

**A/N:** **To put it simply, this chapter was made and posted to make up for all the lost time I wasted. I don't have much to say or add aside from that. I thank those of you that have either reviewed or talked to me during the previous week, but I understand those of you that haven't or weren't able to. But . . . yeah, I guess that's all I got to add, sorry if I've become a nuisance or bothered y'all in some way or another. [Hopefully] will hear from you all soon.**

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" _There is no such thing as accident; it is fate misnamed."_

~ Napoleon Bonaparte

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 **Chapter Seven**

 _An Unheralded Enemy_

"I think . . . we're in the clear . . . Aedan." Favian said between breaths as he slowed down to let Aedan catch up to him.

"For now . . ." Aedan replied, equally depleted. Slowly comprehending and composing his thoughts as they came and passed.

Aedan was overwhelmed by the experience; only now did he begin to take notice of the change in location. Much like the Canyonlands, this area was relatively dry and unpopulated, but the endless plains made it obvious that they were now flying over The Barrens; quite a distance north of Ambala, and to the northeast of the Cayonlands itself. It wasn't the most optimal place Aedan had in mind, but at least they could now establish where they were.

While the location wasn't exactly the most suitable for living, Aedan wasn't confident in their ability to continue this flight either. While they were flying slower than before, with every flap, Aedan's wings got sorer and sorer. The cuts near the front edges of his wings also stung badly— forget the owlnappers, he needed to rest his wings immediately; even if that does mean they'll become easy targets for whoever may be after them. Aedan was sure Favian would understand.

"We need to land and recollect ourselves, we aren't going anywhere without a plan."

And with that, they managed to find the only worthwhile location in the region: It was a building The _Others_ had once constructed on top of these wide plains. Quite an odd location to put the building from Aedan's point of view, but at the moment he was unable to marvel at such contemplations.

They quickly got settled down, but that did not mean their emotions would subside. Rather, with a period of time to actual now realize what was going on, it hit both of them quite hard. Aedan was the most affected by his own hysteria, it all came to him at once.

" _They're all gone,"_ Aedan mourned to himself silently, "Kolina, Gowyr, Vara—everyone, is gone . . . because of me . . ."

He wanted to slash at himself with his own talons, he couldn't have been any stupider even if he had tried. It was his fault for all of this, he should have known better upon hearing the repeated warnings from those that knew him. He could have warned everyone, saved them from whatever hardships they may face now—and what could the two of them do now? Just him and Favian, in the middle of nowhere; lost, confused, and hopeless, to face against an enemy they didn't even know and still don't know, that exist?

The thoughts of Gowyr tore into him the hardest. Gowyr had put his absolute faith into him, risked his own life for a circumstance he could very well have avoided—and now is missing because of him. Those frightened eyes . . . Aedan couldn't unsee them now, it read nothing but fear and regret—regret of following him, for Gowyr must have realized Aedan inevitably brought about his own demise. What curler twist of fate could it have been for Gowyr to have to face the consequences caused by Aedan, which was a burden Aedan must now live with for the rest of his life.

Aedan broke down, but refused to cast any tears. There was always hope that they made it out okay. With such an intelligent mind for someone as young as Gowyr, surely he could have escaped like the the two of them. Maybe the others, too. There was no telling in what actually had happened, maybe everything would turn out okay.

For awhile, Aedan had lived believing his life was to be made easy by those around him—especially with Kolina helping him. Before that, nothing had ever seemed to work well for him, and the lack of parents left him with no one to go back to. He was so confident that these friends would stand around him, that he still has yet to come out of disbelief over the fact that they were missing, all he had left now was Favian. But at least Glaux allowed Favian to still be here with him.

Regardless, his own arrogance caused all of this—he decided, and in his own anger, he took off his training claws and threw them across the room where they stood in. Favian looked at him questionably, but refused to say anything. It seemed Favian was just as disappointed in himself as Aedan was.

"I could have done more," Favian announced regretfully, "I should have bought more time for the others, fought off anyone that dared got close to us, and help everyone escape. Instead, I just flew like a coward . . . leaving everyone for themselves."

Aedan looked at him, while he had much to say about himself, Favian was the least guilty in Aedan's eyes. After all, Favian did risk his life to save Aedan's own.

"You did what you could, there's nothing else you could have done to save them."

Favian gripped the wooden stand he stood on harder, he grew twice his size as he yelled, "Why!? Why us, Glaux!? What have we done to deserve this!?"

Aedan stayed silent, he was also unsure, but more than anything, he could only blame himself for what had happened.

He let Favian cool down for a bit as the question lingered in the air. It only took him moments later to begin asking the questions they both had on their mind.

"Who would do this, and why would they owlnap us?"

Aedan shook his head, "I don't know."

"This can't be St. Aegolius, right?" Favian asked doubtfully.

"They were disbanded by the Guardians years ago, there's no reason for them to come back now. Whoever this is, must be a group that does not wish to reveal itself to the owl world entirely." Aedan answered, looking somberly at his larger friend. The Great Horned owl's eyes burned in a fiery rage, as he remembered what he saw.

"Did you happen to notice the teacher and the two owls still with the class during that time we were escaping?" Favian asked suddenly, wanting to bring aware something.

"No, what about them?" Aedan asked, noticing the anger that Favain emitted in his voice.

"Does it not seem odd to you that they didn't do anything—that they flew not just with the class, but _alongside_ those owls?"

"Wait, really?" Aedan responded, he hadn't realized the teacher and those two escorts were completely passive with the presences of the other owls.

"And they couldn't have been deceived like us," Favian added, "I think this was planned from the start, maybe as some kind of initiation or defection to whoever that group may be, but that teacher must've had something arranged."

Aedan wasn't entirely convinced that was the case, but he found the teacher's apathy for the situation to be just as odd. But if what he had said was true, it would make sense a lot of previously unexplained attributes of the class; such as the unexplained target they were to find after arriving to the location, and the ambiguity of the teacher's profession.

The silence gave Aedan the opportunity to ask his own question, the one that concerned him the most during this dire time.

"Favian, did you see if anyone else made it out?"

Favian stared at him quizzically, before replying in a sadden voice. "I'm just as unsure as you are, too much happened during that time for me to pay attention. We can only hope for the best."

Aedan looked down, there was no saying as to who made it out and who didn't. They may as well assume worse.

But, Aedan heart didn't believe that for a moment. It pleaded for him to consider the possibility that most of the group still alive and free, and Aedan wanted to believe his heart was right for once.

His gizzard warned him otherwise, it urged him to waste no time and make haste. He refused to acknowledge the feeling, however, as he still wanted to rest his wings for just a little longer.

So he convinced Favian to stay with him in the building for a while, to see if anyone would happen to find them—hoping, it wasn't the bad owls who would find them first.

During this time, Aedan investigated the room in which they resided at the moment. Enclosed and squared, it appeared to follow a similar structure to that of a building Aedan knew was called "churches". However, unlike churches, this room was far smaller and didn't have any glass windows near the walls. While the roof of the complex was partially missing, Aedan got the impression this building was a place of gathering for some kind of activity—like a church, as there was a throne-like object near the front of the room. It interested Aedan greatly, but did not distract him too much from the real issues at the moment.

Some hours passed, as the early moments of daylight started to peer through the hole near the ceiling. Favian was close to calling off the delay, and Aedan himself was starting to have doubts about anyone coming across this remote location. Just as they thoughts this, however, sounds of hectic wingbeats bounced across the walls; someone had gotten inside the structure.

Favian and Aedan hid near one of the corners of the room, remaining silent and attentive to their surroundings. Favian was careful with where he stepped with his battleclaws, ensuring they didn't make too much noise when repositioning his feet. Vigilant and alert, they soon caught sight of a Spotted owl entering through the same hole they got in through; it caught sight of them moments later.

The Spotted owl jolted back violently before realizing who it was.

"Favian, Aedan!?" He asked disbelievingly, his eyes wide open relief.

"Yeah buddy, it's us!" Favian rushed up to greet the originally missing Vaughn who landed in front of them. The close friends reunited as if they hadn't seen each other in years. It was a miracle for all of them he had managed to find them.

"How did you escape buddy? You were gone for so long and I . . ." Favian ran-off, Vaughn answered him.

"Moments after we all made a break for it, the other class also began to panic as well. In the confusion, I managed to slip out unnoticed and made a break for it. I tried heading back to Ambala, but the head-wind was too strong for a fast escape, so I decided to just let it push me along. Next thing I know, I'm here, and I thought this would be a good place to stop by—seems that paid off."

Aedan nodded, but decided to double-check with him, "So you're sure no one followed you?"

Vaughn nodded quickly to reaffirm what he had stated, "Yeah, I'm quite certain no one was following me. If they did, we would have been caught by now."

"And did you happen to see if anyone else got out?" Aedan quickly added an additional question, hoping that Glaux would offer them mercy in this chaos.

Vaughn shook his head, it was all the answer Aedan needed; no one else could have gotten out, unless they themselves were very lucky.

With the three of them now here, one question existed on everyone's mind:

"So, what now?" Vaughn looked at the two of them, the question was perhaps one of the more difficult ones to answer. Aedan sighed, and groaned,

"If only we had Kolina here so we could come up with something."

"Your wish has been granted."

Everyone jumped in surprise, the voice from behind them—that uniquely confident and unwearied tone of Kolina was recognized, and she stood only feet away from them. They hadn't even heard her come in, and she could've been one of those owls who wanted to capture them. But to Aedan, her arrival marked a sign from Glaux; clearly, he wanted to give this provisional "band" a chance—a second chance, in fact, to face this threat head-on. Nothing made him happier than to see her warming smile, it appeared almost as if the occurrence had not affected her one bit.

"Surprised to see me?" She asked, somewhat amused.

"Kolina, when did you get here, and how did you find us?" Vaughn asked, just as enthusiastic as Favian was to him.

"Just a few moments ago, actually, I just had to be sure it was you all before I came in; hence my silence." She paused and looked at them carefully, before continuing, "Now, as for how I found you all, I had seen Aedan and Favian fly to the east, but those ill-intentioned owls were looking for me. So I had to hide for a couple hours to avoid detection, but eventually I managed to elude capture and make my way towards the east. From there, it only took me a couple of guesses to figure out where you all were hiding."

The last part of her statement seemed to hold some amusement, she must be implying it was quite obvious of a location. Meaning, if they didn't leave soon, they would be caught if those owls were looking for them.

Aedan, now nearly with his full group recovered, decided to ask one last time. "Kolina, did you see anyone else escape? I have to know."

She looked at him with interest, before dropping the final conclusion, "I'm afraid I didn't see anyone else avoid capture; it seemed they were only looking for us four after we escaped."

Aedan sighed in defeat, he knew it was his fault for everyone else, but at least most of his group was safe and in good health. Kolina began to look at him funny, and started studying his wings, particularly the wounded areas. She asked.

"Battleclaws?" Aedan nodded, "Hmm . . . are you still flight capable?"

"I don't know." Aedan answered, unsure of himself.

"Well we can't afford uncertainty in our current predicament," she retorted, "if you don't think you're able to fly, we'll have to stay here until your wounds heal."

"You can't be serious!" Favian asserted in, "We'd be caught if we stay around here for too long!"

"Yeah, and it'll be quite hard to find enough food for all of us." Vaughn added, Kolina glared quite ferociously at the two of them.

"Well you two can be on your way then!" Kolina shot back, anger seething out of her beak. It made Favian and Vaughn take a step back in shock, no one has ever seen her get this angry, not even Aedan.

She explained condescendingly, "We're a group now, and we need to stay together if we wish to make it through this. We can't afford turning our backs on each other out of fear, we can make it through this if we try."

"What's the point?" Favian argued, his emotions getting the better of him, "Where are we going to go? We're in the middle of nowhere, and we have no food or anywhere to stay. We should just turn ourselves in now." He glanced down at the floor, scratching his battleclaws against the wood every so often.

Kolina gazed at him questionably, but also with interest. She reserved her judgment until the others made their case. Vaughn chimed in.

"I think we should look for the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, like the Band did in the legends. Surely, they could do something about this and help us out." The Spotted owl looked around for some support, but Kolina was primarily looking at Aedan for her own opinion.

She already knew where he wanted to go, back to his home region in Ambala. It was just something she could read about Aedan, as he was the most predictable out of all of them. While she didn't mind this idea, she had a better place in mind to go to.

"Well, we need a verdict, and I'll offer one. First, I'm not stopping anyone from leaving us and doing what they want;" She glanced over at Favian who listened carefully to what she said.

". . . but understand we are the only ones that can bring aware of this threat to not just the Guardians of Ga'Hoole; but to all the owls of the kingdoms."

"Secondly," she looked towards Vaughn this time, "while I do believe we should somehow inform the Guardians of Ga'Hoole of the threat, we must be more realistic on the matter; there is other ways to get in touch with the Guardians other than looking for their patrols."

She then shifted her attention towards Aedan, "Lastly, while Ambala may seem to be the most prominent of choices, I believe it would be too obvious of a location, and as such, the most harmful of all choices to us."

Aedan cocked his head sideways in confusion, "Ambala's the worst of choices?"

"Two reasons: one, it's the most obvious of routes, as they would likely be expecting us to go through that way to return back to the Gateway to Hoole. Two, because it seems quite easy for those owls to enter Ambalian territory . . . not to mention, my concern over the fact that these owls are operating out of the Cayonlands, an Ambalian-administered region."

Aedan gave in to the reasoning, he did not like to believe Ambala could be one of the parties involved with this owlnappings, but she was right about the last part—Ambala is supposedly occupying the former region of St. Aegolius, to ensure no other hostile organization grows from there.

It seems they're doing quite a bad job at it . . .

"So then, Kolina, where do you suggest we go?" Aedan asked, the answer was highly anticipated.

She gave a somewhat misplaced smile, and said only one word, "Silverveil."

"What, Silverveil?" The three of them asked in usion, their confusion was all in the same place.

"Silverveil has been fighting 'rebel' forces since their inception as a kingdom. It is only logical for us to assume they are not likely involved in this matter like Ambala could be, and it's also has the closest ties to the actual Great Tree itself compared to other kingdoms. If we want to help our classmates the safest and fastest way, we go to Silverveil."

"Wait, what do you mean 'rebel' forces? And how will we convince them about all of this? They don't know any of us, we're complete strangers to them." Vaughn asked, his concern for the plan seemed apparent.

"That's a problem to discuss for another time, but for now I think it's best we rest up and get ourselves ready to leave as soon as possible. I'm going to try and find us some food, so it may take me a little while. Don't go anywhere without me."

"Do you need help with the hunt? I'm sure the more of us out there, the more likely we'll find something." Vaughn offered, seeing that his assistance may be put to use there.

She shook her head, "I think it's best you three stay here, tend to Aedan's wounds and keep an eye out for any of other classmates that may have escaped. Besides, hunting out there is quite risky, the more of us out there, the higher the risk. I'll be back with enough food for all of us, I promise."

She looked back at all of them before taking flight, exiting through a different hole they hadn't noticed before.

* * *

Several hours passed, and the three of them tried relaxing during their inactivity. Of course, to no avail. No one else whether good or bad had been seen, and they've all mostly kept their thoughts to themselves. Mostly thinking about their families, friends, and future. They didn't truly grasp to what scale this event would affect their lives, so how they perceived it varied greatly between the group. Aedan himself was unsure, but he figured that whoever was behind this must have some kind of evil plan or something of that sort like in some legends.

Aedan had tried sleeping moments before, only catching a few moments of slumber before reawakening in distress. Each time, he felt like he was in some far-away world, one that wasn't like their own. In too much of a daze, he wasn't capable of critically analyzing what he had saw. The only thing he did feel was his gizzard yearn for him to leave, leave and fly as far away from this place as possible.

But again, his gizzard's request were not seriously considered to Aedan.

Kolina arrived with three particularly large-sized voles, one held by each talon, and third carried by her beak. She dropped one vole to each of them, before landing. It seemed she wasn't interested in sharing and was content with not eating anything at the moment. When undoubtedly all three of them offered to share, she kindly rejected each of their offers several times; insisting she wasn't hungry.

But despite the gracious attitude she had towards them, Aedan could sense she was relatively irritated at the moment. He could support this assumption by the fact of how she was acting: pacing uncomfortably around the area, with her head scanning over the general area of the room. She paid no mind to him or the others, and that confident smile was nowhere to be seen on her face. Her beak, clamped shut and unmoving, was perhaps the most concerning feature Aedan noticed.

Disturbed by this behavior, Aedan drew nearer to her and asked, "Hey, are you alright?"

She came out of her dazed state and refocused on him, her heart shaped face came to his full view. Quickly and somewhat uncomfortably, she mustered a response. "Ye—yes, sorry, I guess all this flying has made me exhausted; and nothing seems to be working out for me at the moment."

Aedan's face twisted in confusion, "What do you mean by that? What's not working out for you?"

She blinked, before laughing it off, "Oh, apologies, I meant the hunt wasn't working out as well as I hoped for. As you can probably tell, I'm quite tired by all the flying we did today. I just want to go asleep and forget about all of this."

Aedan this time was the one to second guess her like Favian and Vaughn did when she first got here. They couldn't afford waiting around like they were doing, they had to leave this place very soon or else they run the risk of being discovered. They were already stretching it by staying here during the day, but even Aedan knew surely that their time was running out.

He insisted in the nicest way possible, "If I may point out, we need to get a move on—and . . . I'm sorry for saying that after every you've done for us, but . . . we've already extended our stay for way too long. We need to get to Silverveil quickly, and waste no more time, resting can wait."

Kolina looked at him somewhat flatly, her narrow eyes fluttered slightly as if to keep them focused on him. She grudgingly inclined herself to ask, "And do you think you yourself are up to the task of flying from here to Silverveil? If you want my opinion, taking an extra few hours to sleep and plan further wouldn't be the worse thing in the world; I didn't see anyone looking around this area, so I think it's safe for the time being. It's your call, though personally, I wouldn't mind catching some shut eye for a couple of hours.

Aedan stared at her, before looking at the other two who were now paying attention to the conversation. Yet another choice to consider.

But upon remembering it was Kolina who convinced him to tag along on this near fatal journey, this time, he was going to ensure he made the right choice.

"We're leaving," Aedan announced staunchly, "let's make sure we do some good with this knowledge and warn the owl kingdoms of this new, unknown threat."


	8. Tabula Rasa

**A/N: My first attempt at this author's note failed, so I'll be brief and to the point. For those of you [dare I say, the two of you] that have reviewed up to now, you have my deepest gratitude. Without you, I'm sure I would've not poured so much time into this off-time project. It's sad to see the Guardians of Ga'Hoole community in such a small state, even my own closest companions have left it for the time being . . . but at least I have some of you, which is all the difference to me. I don't think I would have gotten here without you all.**

 **So now we've reached to first "checkpoint" of the story, the end of the beginning, but not the beginning of the end. This chapter shouldn't be too confusing, but if there is any confusion, I won't take offense to it; in fact, I encourage questions should the need ever arise. So without further ado, let's finish this first Act!**

 **(***) : means transitioning during a different perspective of time. It'll make sense once you start reading.**

* * *

" _From even the greatest of horrors, irony is seldom absent."_

~ H. P. Lovecraft

* * *

 **Chapter Eight [Act One Final]**

 _Tabula Rasa_

 **(***)**

Secluded in a remote hollow somewhere in Ambala, the morning fog near one of the few patches of grassland began to disintegrate to the intensified early summer sunlight. The late-night dew that gathered on the many leaves of Ambala's wide variety of trees intensified the shine of the sun and reflected it magnificently all across the area. The moisture, sky and temperature was just right for the more adventurous owls that enjoy exploring the region.

Of course, sleep was also a good alternative during this fresh daytime . . . but where's the fun in that?

To one owl, however, he just wanted to sleep and keep sleeping.

A Spotted owl of indistinct character and appearance—aside from his relatively small size— stared sluggishly at the other, larger owl who was reviewing a particular entry in a journal. The Spotted owl's eyes did not move when the other owl proceeded to close the book, blowing out a candle when doing so. It didn't appear the other owl was too enthusiastic on what he had read, and his attention quickly fell upon the Spotted owl.

The Spotted owl only yawned, before picking at a bothersome feather with his beak. This was the third night in the row they had done this, and it was starting to get repetitive to the Spotted owl.

This hollow he was given: bland and uninteresting, was exactly like his personality; or at least, how he felt his demeanour to be. The only redeeming characteristic of the hollow was the owl that resided it: a very potent Brown Fish owl.

 _Yes, the same one you are thinking of right now. The one who had called it from the beginning that something catsmoclitic would happen. Even more, this owl from the very start was trying to guide that remarkably arrogant Spotted owl towards the right direction._

 _We all know how well that worked out . . ._

Jedrek set the book aside and began tapping the cover with his talons. Unmoving, impatient, and demanding; there was still too much that needed to be addressed. Having been several unproductive nights, time was limited, and it was essential they got to the bottom of this.

Jedrek cleared his throat abruptly, catching Aedan's fleeting attention, and began speaking robustly.

"I know this may seem difficult to you, lad; but this is starting to get out of hand." Jedrek locked his glare at the Aedan's nimble, exhausted face, before continuing.

"We—no, _I_ have asked that you get this report done by tonight. What I didn't ask for was this kind of . . . story, you have written here!"

Jedrek tossed the journal towards Aedan, which bounced off Aedan's chest and fell to the floor of the hollow. Aedan only flinched, his eyes hanging low, avoiding looking at Jedrek at all cost. Aedan knew full well that Jedrek wasn't the kind of owl to displease, but given their current position, it wasn't too hard to understand.

Aedan couldn't help but contemplate how much he had described Jedrek in the report, most of it was spot-on. Though, he did admit, he did miss out on the part of Jedrek's short temper.

But at least now Jedrek could remind him of this temper first hand.

Jedrek turned around, walking towards the other direction as he continued criticizing Aedan.

"This report is way beyond what I've asked of you, I did not want a third-person summary of your experience and everything that has happened since you got to the Gateway to Hoole. I only want to know the relevant information: which is the exact circumstances of when you came into contact with these unidentified forces."

Jedrek turned back around, and angled his head to the side.

"You know, I actually would've thought you would have been more cooperative given what has happened to your friends."

"That's why I'm trying to tell you of all this!" Aedan screeched, tears building in his eyes, "The Ambalian parliament will believe me if they hear the full story over some simplified report, they must understand what I've been through and what has happened to all of those owls that tried to help me."

The two stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Jedrek could tell Aedan was too stressed to be dealing with these personal infractions right now. Aedan still needed to be caught up to speed at the moment, and Jedrek himself also required this information to give to the Ambalian parliament. So Jedrek decided to concede and grabbed the book and gathered the writing supplies Aedan had used the nights before.

"So," Jedrek began, grabbing a quill and flipping to a new page from where Aedan had wrote the night before, "let's see where you last left off."

He looked at the previous page before flipping back to his new page where he was to begin writing.

"So you and the remnants of your group managed to convene in an abandoned structure in the middle of the Barrens. You hastily regrouped, reorganized, and unanimously decided to fly to Silverveil to warn of these abductors. Correct?"

Aedan took a deep breath in, before nodding in agreement. Jedrek built off of that acknowledgement.

"We already know from the message you've attained from that Silverveilian messenger that you had successfully made it to Silverveil and you and your group gave their testimonies and perspectives there. Likely, giving a similar answer as the one you've given me so far, correct?"

Again, there was a repetition of the acknowledgement and continuation, and Jedrek carried on towards the climax of all of this.

"In the end, sometime after that, you've managed to get here—nearly half-dead from exhaustion and filled with terror, holding with you that Silverveilian message in your possession. What I think is most relevant and crucial, is quite simple: I need you to fill in the details as to what had happened to cause you to be so terrified. I think—if what you said before is true—this bit of information may well be the most important for us to know. As, also, it would be quite telling as to what exactly we are dealing with. I'm sure also if we focus on this last part, it'll be quite alright for you to do that "story-telling" method as you have so committedly decided to do."

Aedan appeared torn, he wanted to tell the full story, but he knew he was out of time. He figured that if he told this last part of the story, it'd be enough insight to prove his claims, and perhaps bring about the much needed response from the Ambalians and the rest of the owl kingdoms.

Aedan sighed, before starting off slowly.

"It was early in the day, just like now. We had just got done with our interrogation by the owl responsible for Silverveilian intelligence—the same one who had gave us that hollow to sleep in. We were expecting to be stuck there for awhile."

"That was, until . . ."

 **(***)**

 _Silverveil_

A night has passed since the group has first got here; tired and skeptical, the lack of any demanding events has allowed the group to get rested for what ever may come their way. To some of them, they felt like a world away from home; to others, home was wherever their friends were.

Silverveil was a strange place, filled with equally unusual owls. It's nomenclature and culture far differs from that of Ambala's or the Gateway to Hoole's own well-defined societies. Silverveil was—as Aedan would best describe—the closest place to go for both independent living and personal commitments; free, yet not free . . . it was an interesting way of life. Yet, many questions loomed amongst the group as to the exact nature of the kingdom's existences.

Such questions, however, were not important enough to answer or consider. It was best left for another time during a private and less eventful time.

The group, after their rather long and demanding inquiry, has obtained a temporary hollow for the time being, provided generously by the Silverveilian officials. It wasn't known when the Silverveilian authorities would figure out what to do, or how they would respond. All the group knew was that the Silverveilians had gotten the information from each and every one of them, and now it was up to the them to figure out what to do with it.

Aedan would come to realize, much of the information he shared—especially regarding Jedrek's behavior prior to the abduction, could be interpreted by the Silverveilians quite differently than most of them had in mind. The possibility that the Ambalians were somehow linked to all this seemed quite probable with what information they have obtained. Even the group, and Aedan to a lesser extent, somewhat reserves the judgment that the Ambalians were too complacent on the matter.

Then again, Aedan had remembered that the teacher—a Gateway to Hoole instructor—could also have been behind all of this. As could be the escorts that came along. This pre-planned scheme could have deeper implications than any of them have realized.

But too uninformed, the group could only wait and see who was actually responsible for the act.

Somewhat late in the night now, the group's activity was apathetic and unmoving. Most of them were in the process of trying to get every last bit of sleep. However, a well-mannered, but relatively middle-aged Great Grey owl arrived and stood near the entrance of the hollow.

Even with the weariness, everyone's attention was glued to the owl; they knew that if he was here, a new, important piece of information was surely to follow. The owl was, after all, the one who had questioned them hours earlier.

The Great Grey began somewhat placidly, "I have some good news and some bad news for you chaps regarding the request to investigate the accounts you've described in detail."

No one responded, they all knew that what was about to be said would determine whether or not the fate of their classmates and friends would be left in vain or not. It was too much to bear for such an acknowledgement.

The Great Gray announced, "It is with deep regret that I must inform you that the case is unlikely to warrant an actual further inquiry and response from the Guardians of Ga'Hoole. That is the bad news . . . the good news, however, is that we—the Silverveilians, have decided to act upon the disturbance, and begin probing into what exactly has happened, and bringing justice to those who were harmed during this unfortunate event."

There was a combined sigh of relief from the group, all of that time spent on getting here seems to have paid off. While the lack of actual Guardian backing is discouraging, the Silverveilian government's swift action to take up the case was a good step in the right direction.

With them, the time of those who were responsible for that cruel act is limited, as the Silverveilians have always been engaging in these counter-insurgency operations for ages.

Ever since the end of the War of the Ember, many confuse the destruction of the Pure Ones' organization with the destruction of all hostile bodies on the continent of S'yrthghar. Hireclaws backing insignificant warlords still plagues certain regions of the continent. With the advent of Guardian-backed kingdoms, however, these groups have either disbanded from the region or fled to outer boundaries from which they would not be directly harassed by opposing search parties.

The only known and remaining hireclaw-based groups exist in the disputed region of Spirit Woods, a region in which the Silverveilians have been constantly at odds with due to its relatively close proximity and sparse population. Day-in, day-out, the Silverveilians constantly flood the region with sponsored soldiers of varying calibers. As of late, in a particular twist in irony, the Silverveilians have contracted their own brand of hireclaws from outer regions to hunt these remaining organizations, as they constantly send raiding groups into Silverveilian territory and cause havoc.

Thus, as one can likely speculate, it wasn't too odd for a group of owls to report a owlnapping or some other form of strange activity by an unknown group.

What was somewhat shocking, however, was the fact this occurred in a vastly different region—one of which that hasn't had a bad report since the legends of Coryn themselves. Hence, when the Silverveilians first heard of this new case, they approached it quite differently than before.

But all the while, Aedan could tell that while the Silverveilian response was the right thing to do . . . he couldn't help but feel the Silverveilians were perhaps a tad bit too overconfident. They had been, for years, fighting irregular forces that were disorganized and lacked conviction. There was no telling what exactly the owls that took Aedan's class were up to, and to what extent of how deep such a secretive organization may go.

Aedan could feel, deep down in his gizzard, that something was terribly wrong when comparing the group that took his class with a bunch of random hireclaws from Spirt Woods.

Kolina, who was suddenly concerned, asked relatively quickly, "Wa-wa-wait, that's good and all, but how are the Silverveilians going to conduct an investigation in Ambalian territory? Shouldn't we be more cautious about the Ambalians and how they may be involved in all of this?"

Aedan cast a sidelong glance at Kolina, while she was right with her worries, it did come off rather odd to Aedan. Surely, with an opportunity to figure this out as quickly as possible, they wouldn't waste any time worrying about the Ambalians. It seemed like a clear cut case to Aedan, but the Great Grey did reserve some statements on the matter.

"You're indeed right that our skepticism with our . . . disputed neighbor has caused some hesitation when it came to this decision, but there are ways around that you see. Ways in which we, no matter the choice we make, will win in the end."

Everyone was confused by the statement, if not, curious as well.

The owl had briefly mentioned that Ambala was their "disputed neighbor", this was something Aedan had learned just hours before when being questioned. Ambala's and Silverveil's relationship as Hoolian states has not been the most easy-going, while they were not direct adversaries to each other, Silverveil has long accused Ambala of supplying weapons and other materials to forces opposing the Silverveilian kingdom.

Of course, if this was true, it would be the most damning information Silverveil would have to use against the Ambalians. However, with no evidence, such claims lacked any significant justification.

But then again, there was always that glimmer of a possibility that this claims and the owlnapping organization operating within Ambala could be linked in some way to each other. Perhaps this was another reason why the Silverveilians were so eager to pounce on the case, but Aedan did not like to think that was the only reason why they supported such an investigation.

The Great Grey continued to explain, "It's quite simple, due to the fact this incident occurred over Ambalian territory, and we are willing to partake in such an investigation. We will ask for a bilateral agreement of passage to work together and get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible—this would likely take less than a moon before we would have our answer. The second option, is if they refuse; which also, works in our favor. If they refuse our request, that means we can file an incursion of our investigation to the Guardians of Ga'Hoole and then they would have to get involved, which would mean that us, the Guardians, and the Ambalians would all have to partake in this investigation. Meaning, everything will work out for the better."

He sighed, before admitting, "The only cost for doing any of this, is time. And I'm sure such time is quite important when considering those owls that were caught in the middle of all this. If we had to get the Guardians involved, it could take several moons before anything gets done. Which is way too long."

The Great Grey suddenly stood up taller and puffed out his chest, before further announcing, "That is why we are leaving for Ambala as soon as possible. Our last request for you all, is that you all come along to act as witnesses to the Ambalians. We will also provide a detailed report on what you've stated to us, which should be enough to shift the Ambalians opinions on the matter."

Kolina, again somewhat concerned, asked hastily, "And when are we to leave, where exactly, and with who?"

The Great Grey smiled, before answering, "Sunset, about a full time of daylight from now. We'll be leaving from here, which is southern Silverveil, through the Barrens, and then into Ambala, where we are likely to be met by a Ambalian patrol who will guide us in. For this trip, I'll be with you, as the messenger, and we'll have several escorts—just in case."

Aedan didn't know why, but after having been originally comforted by those escorts who flew alongside the teacher, and the fact Silverveil's military uses hireclaws, he just had to ask despite his groggy state.

"And are these 'escorts' trustworthy? You're aware of what happened to us during our own trip, right?"

The Great Grey nodded, "Only the best, I've arranged for a detachment from the Blythewold garrison unit to stick with us; along with the normal pair of escorts. All regulars, no conscripts or hireclaws."

The Great Grey stared down at Aedan before reassuring, "It'll be alright, you're worrying too much about it. Trust me, tomorrow will go by in a flash, and with it; all of your worries."

The Great Grey, having stuck around for so long, seemed to be out of time. "I've got to go, just be ready by sunset tomorrow, we'll handle everything else for you all. And this whole thing will be over as quickly as it began."

And with that, he flew off. No soon after, Vaughn and Favian were already asleep, only Aedan and Kolina remained awake.

The question regarding food for their trip tomorrow became quickly relevant, and Kolina quickly took up the matter by offering her precious time to go out hunting. When Aedan initially refused, stating that she had already done enough by hunting for all of them last time, she insisted that she couldn't sleep and Aedan could use that sleep more than she ever could.

But while that was true, Aedan couldn't sleep that night. The sight of Gowyr's petrified eyes filled Aedan's head again.

He just hoped something good would come out of this . . .

* * *

Refreshed and optimistic, the group took to the skies with their Silverveilian comrades by their sides. The atmosphere was far more relaxed than the nights before, the trembling thoughts about what had happened seem to all but disappear from their heads. Out of sight, out of mind, was the simplest way Aedan could explain it. Deep thoughts and critical dialogue were left behind in favor of jokes and very rudimentary inquiries. Even the soldiers that flew slightly behind them cracked a few comments towards each other, further proof that such a trip was to quick and eventless.

Aedan during this time, did nothing but study one of the four soldiers that flew with them.

Being yet another Spotted owl, the soldier like the rest of his compatriots, had his plumage dyed in distinct greyish-white coloring. Aedan speculated that this coloration was used to help identify the soldier's origin or allegiance perhaps during the thick of battle. But that wasn't the most interesting feature of the soldier to Aedan.

The Spotted owl also carried a weapon above its back, a kind of crossbow with a half-dozen bolts fed by a magazine. The weapon was held in place by a strap that came around the owl and was buckled together near the chest. Lastly, the final element of the weapon was a leather string that was attached to one of individual talons, presumably this string was used for firing the weapon.

It fascinated Aedan, despite him being no scholar of the methods of war, it was still quite interesting to see a different contraption over the same old battleclaws.

An additional owl also carried this weapon, while the remaining two carried just battleclaws. But Aedan's attention only fell upon that Spotted owl, there was just something about that owl that mirrored himself. A relationship of sorts he couldn't explain, and wouldn't be able to for times to come.

Kolina banked over towards Aedan's left wing, before drawing his attention and saying.

"Well Aedan, it seems like we did it."

Her confident smile—which had seemed to have disappeared the nights before, had returned to her beak. It made Aedan happy to see this change, but he also couldn't reflect her attitude on the matter.

"Yeah." Aedan said simply, not as happy as he should have been.

"Once this is all over, do you have any plans you had in mind?" She asked suddenly, catching Aedan off-guard, but not in the way most would have expected.

It was the same question she had asked to Gowyr before he had disappeared due to the owlnapping. Due to that memory, Aedan was somewhat more perturbed by the question than he should have been. An unsettling feeling grew within his gizzard.

Vaughn quickly approached their right side, asking somewhat anxiously.

"Uh . . . guys, does anyone else see that group coming towards us to our right?"

Aedan flicked his head towards that direction, quickly scanning the horizon. His eyes focused in on something moments later.

That unsettling feeling in Aedan's gizzard quickly drew silent, Aedan's whole body grew stiff.

A small group of five unmarked Tytos, in tight formation and with similar weaponry possessed by the escorts, were approaching them directly. It was an intimidating sight for Aedan to bare witness to.

Everyone else quickly caught sight of the formation moments later. Favian also drew nearer to the rest of them and asked apprehensively. "Are they ours!?"

The escorts, without a word, quickly turned towards the new arrivals. As if, to answer Favian's question, one of them screeched loudly towards the adversaries—the only response they would receive is deathly silence.

Without making a sound, the unknown formation suddenly separated; but it was not unintentional or due to distress from the escorts. The owls in the formation broke formation simultaneously, with the ones on the side turning outwards into their respective directions, and the flight leader ascending upwards at the same time. The group operated in total uniformity, as if they were all collectively one.

"I think we got to make a break for it lads!" Favian cried out loud, as the opposing group now squared off against their escorts.

Everyone became frantic, looking around at each other and quickly glancing towards the confrontation between the two forces. Aedan was suddenly cast closer towards the same Great Grey from before, the Great Grey whispered.

"Go, get out of here . . . take this message with you." He proceed to slide the container to Aedan's claws, before adding finally, "Warn the Ambalians, warn everyone; you must get out of here with that message at all cost."

And in a swift reversal, the Great Grey fled back towards Silverveil before Aedan could object. No one else in the group had noticed him give the message to Aedan, but they had spotted him fleeing. This only added to the sense of confusion.

And it was at that point, Aedan realized, that something was wrong—beyond wrong. There was no way some mischievous poorly-trained and organized hireclaws were behind all of this. Those owls that are out there right now are regulars—no, they look to be like seasoned soldiers of the first kind! And this wasn't some random coincidence either, these owls came here exactly for one goal in mind: them! Aedan and his group were being hunted down, not just now, but since the very beginning!

And these owls weren't going to make the same mistake as last time. These owls knew why they were out here and what was going to happen to them. They came here to finish the job, and Aedan knew it!

A new sense of urgency screamed out of Aedan's gizzard, he ignored all of the questions coming from the confused group. He only had one thing to say.

"We need to separate and get as far away from these owls as possible!" Aedan yelled, frantically looking between the group. Kolina protested.

"We won't make it if we separate, that wind is going to push us back if we go out of formation. We won't make it anywhere near Ambala if we do."

Aedan shook his head quickly, "If we don't scatter, they'll get all of us like voles! We need to disperse!"

Kolina again, urged him to do the contrary, "We'll be in a panic at that point and easy targets if we all begin to flee without direction, please Aedan, we still have a chance if we stay together. We won't make it if we panic."

For the first time, Aedan's gizzard took over, and he flung himself in a dive; gathering all the speed he could as he rushed to Ambala.

"Aedan!" Kolina shrieked, the cry for his name tore through Aedan's ears. He shook violently from it.

 _That would be the last time he heard that voice._

Aedan glanced back at the group, they began splitting off in terror. Each flying different directions as to flee from the opposing owls.

 _Aedan wouldn't look back again._

With all of his might, he kept flapping his wings while grazing the ground. Aedan didn't know how much further it was to Ambala, but his speed was decreasing rapidly due to the wind. Kolina was right, the wind pushed him back, and Aedan knew he wouldn't be able to make it at this rate.

Thinking quickly was not enough, his gizzard urged him to hide in a small depression to his left. He quickly fell in and hid himself in the shadows.

Wavering breaths were all that escaped from his beak, he had to wait it out now and hope for the best.

Minutes passed, and then he caught sight of the last thing he wanted to see.

A pair of those Barn owls were flying overhead, Aedan got a good look at them. One of them had shining battleclaws and a helmet, the other only had a crossbow on his back. It seemed the one without the helmet was listening in on the ground, while the other flew along his side, particularly close.

 _They're looking for me._ Aedan thought, trying to lessen his breaths to a bare minimum so they couldn't hear him.

When the one Barn owl without the helmet suddenly shot their face towards him, Aedan thought he was done for.

That was, until a particularly small bird exited out of the depression. Quickly grabbing the attention of the two Barn owls overhead.

Aedan slowly looked down, he then noticed that right beside him was a small nest with several eggs. A home to a bird that was not an owl, but was equally caught in the middle of all of this. Aedan watched on with interest as the small bird flew around erratically. It seemed to loosen up the two owls overhead, as they began to speak.

"Just a lark, still no signs of that small Spotted owl." The one without the helmet began, sounding awfully serious.

"You mean a fresh meal?" The other corrected, his voice quite sassier than the other, hardly what Aedan would have imagined coming from such an owl.

The Tyto then swooped down and tried catching the fast-moving lark, only to miss it terribly. After several similar tries and fails, the other teased.

"And you call yourself a _Basher_ with that kind of flying? Glaux help us with we actually come across a real enemy."

Aedan listen in carefully, trying to hear everything that was being said that could be of importance.

"Relax, it's just a little songbird, if it was an actual enemy I'd catch it with my big claws!"

The two churred softly, but to Aedan, it seemed quite disturbing.

"What's the point of catching this puny Spotted owl anyways? He's no different than that lark over there!"

The serious one responded, "Someone is trying to start a war between the Hoolian Kingdoms and our own conglomerate of owls; our job is to ensure that doesn't happen."

The other asked a follow-up question, "Who do you think is responsible for all of this? And is this the right thing to do?"

There was a period of silence, Aedan wanted to fly up there and hear the answer for himself, but the other owl deflected the question and went back on topic.

"We'll talk about this later, we've been out here far too long, and we've already achieved all other mission objectives. A single Spotted owl will hardly be a factor for the moons to come."

Aedan winced at those words, " _all other mission objectives . . ."_ , they must've eliminated everyone—except for him. Glaux must truly hate him, for what darker irony is there to have your friends miraculously come back to him, only to be taken right back away as they should have been before?

Aedan sat down against the wall of the depression, taking in everything that has just happened. He then stared at the container that he still grasped in his claws . . . there was still a chance.

Out of nowhere, the lark returned back from its flight and landed beside Aedan. Looking right at him and only chirping all the while. Aedan stared down at the smaller being, only to begin drawing symbolism from this unspoken interaction as he closed his eyes to sleep.

 _This lark has made me realize just how foolish I really am. Yet, it had saved my life in the end, and it itself managed to survive as well. Not out of superior intelligence, but out of instinct—an instinct to survive, and also due to the underestimation of its predators. What better sign from Glaux than this very bird before me? As if, the songbird is trying to tell me something. At the end of this day, and the start of night, it will have gotten its message across; and that message, no matter how small the bird is, bears a far larger impact._

 _In that wasteland, I also came to realize exactly what Gowyr had tried to tell me all those nights ago. "Are we meant to fly away from predators, or to become one?" Those words, became awfully clear to me; yet, the analogy wasn't exactly correct._

 _One can become a predator by flying away, as the true owl is the one that prevails in the end—not in the beginning._

 _And perhaps, one of the more important aspects to away from all of this would be . . ._

 **(***)**

"Would be what?" Jedrek asked, finishing the last passage of the entry.

Aedan looked at him, "Silence, is not an owl's best friend . . . action is."

Jedrek sighed, before finishing the entry, closing it for good.

"So after all of that, in the end, you've lost your friends, home, and now you're a changed owl. Still curious to the world as you've always been, but I see that look in your eyes—your father had that look."

Aedan looked at him, pondering at the thought. But Aedan wasn't going to leave that assumption uncorrected.

"I'm not a changed owl, Jedrek. This is my _tabula rasa;_ blank slate, to the true world I live in now. Everything starts over for me now, and that is the cold-hearted truth."

Jedrek nodded, and asked, "And are you sure that everything you've stated in this report is correct?"

" _ **To the best of my knowledge . . . I'm sure there's a few points I missed or have completely wrong, but that's the best I can do."**_

"If it's alright for me to ask," Jedrek slowly proceeded to ask, knowing how it looked to ask this kind of question, " _what do you plan on doing now?_ "

Aedan only started, his darken eyes showing no light or reflection from where he was looking. The memories of his short-past flooded back to him.

" _Tabula Rasa."_ He repeated to himself, trying to recollect where exactly he had heard that phrase from.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, we've finally gotten done with the first Act! Yet, so much is still unanswered, and nothing seems to be made clear. In fact, things are more complicated now that we know that Aedan's perspectives may not be actually as accurate as we once thought it was. Now, we're left wondering what Aedan will do, and what exactly will come about from all of this. I'm sure there's much to theorize or predict, but for now we'll have to wait until next update. Given this is the first act to be completed, I'll take it as a first point to begin making revisions, edits, and corrections to anything that seems off to me during the previous chapters. So consider this to be a brief "break" period, but I should get back to it soon [hopefully]! Until then, happy Labor's Day, and I hope to hear from you all soon!**


	9. Starting Over

**A/N: Shame it's been so long, but you can blame me for that. Sadly, I haven't actually managed to make any progress on the updates, and have decided that its best to rather work around it and keep up the momentum and edit it either once I get some serious free time, or when I get some actual support. In the meantime, I decided that since it has been so long of a wait, I would start up Act II. Now because this is getting us back in the grove of things, it may feel a little slow, but it'll quickly pick up as time goes on. But, yeah . . . I really enjoyed hearing the reviews from you two, and I also enjoyed talking to some of you over the course of the pass few weeks. And how could I forget mentioning the stories I've read since the last time I updated? Bluetech has been recently doing some good one-shot stories that are certainly worth the read if you want some more GoGH content, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind it if you popped by and give him a review.**

 **Aside from that, sometimes I just wish I can jump to the climax of the story and reveal everything to you all . . . but where's the enjoyment in that? There's many questions that still have to be answered, and we still won't know who the enemy truly is! It's almost as if . . . well, I'll let you all speculate for yourselves. I'll be curious to see what you two have to say about it! (I'll be quite surprised if anyone else reviews, but I certainly wouldn't mind hearing what someone else has to say!)**

 ** **I should be free for awhile, I had originally expected to be busy passed the 22nd, but as it turned out — well, I'm posting a chapter, how else could I have gotten the time to do that if I was busy? Just a heads up if anyone's curious!****

 **P.S: Just a reminder, (***) symbol denotes a shift in setting or is a kind of flashback. I try to avoid using them whenever possible, but there will be a few instances this chapter when it'll be using that symbol.**

* * *

 **Act II :** _The Enigmatic War_

* * *

" _Redemption is not perfection. The redeemed must realize their imperfections."_

~ John Piper

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

 _Starting Over_

Five full moons has passed since the mysterious incident regarding Aedan's class. After all of this time, the whole continent hasn't even blinked an eye. To most of the owls on the continent, the world was still at peace and there was no enemy to threaten them; and, in a way, that was partially true. Five full moons and there has yet to be another reported incident in the Kingdom of Ambala, leaving the assumption that whatever happened to the group was just a random occurrence. Of course, even that incident remains unresolved.

The northwestern portion of Ambala has hardly changed since that time. Situated between St. Aegolius and The Barrens, it proved to be one of the more occupied portions of the Kingdom, with owls of all kinds taking refuge there for shelter. It's undulated terrain provided many vantage points for observation, most applicable for defensive positions overlooking the region. This advantage was most visible when the landscape below the elevations were layered with precipitation and fog. The trees on these hills would remain in sight despite of these conditions, making them great landing points as well.

For an area dominated by hills, depressions, and grasslands, it was a miracle there was so many spacious trees to live in. It was one of the more interesting parts of Ambala, compared to the dense vegetation of the southern portion of the kingdom.

Some locals argue that this region is perhaps one of the best areas to live in, comparable to that of Blythewold or even the Mirror Lakes. The only downside being the fact it is within vicinity of two very unfamiliar borders, and the memories of St. Aegolius still linger in the minds of many owls living in Ambala.

Early night, the growing Spotted owl, Aedan, was burying his head into the pages of a new book. For an owl so distraught and out of touch, he hadn't changed too much physically. On the flip side, he was still suffering the effects from the incident that seemed to happen so long ago.

He liked to believe that none of that happened and that he was just having a bad daymare. But the more he thought about it, the more he hated himself for the mistakes he made. In particular, the memory of how he had abandoned his friends in a shameful act of cowardice haunts him nights on end.

He could remember clearly how _he_ was the one that instigated the chaos in the group. Then _he_ turned his back on them, putting himself ahead of the others, and then how _he_ hid like a rat instead of trying to save his friends. And for what? Just to tell the Ambalians who were going to sit idly by until something else happens?

Aedan could hardly remember them now, the only stinging images he had left in his brain was that of Gowyr's frightful expression and wide eyes, and the voice of Kolina's crying shriek calling for his name. What a terrible memory it was for him to posses.

And what came out of all of this hardship? Nothing, and that's what bothered Aedan the most. Not his indecisiveness, but Ambala's own apathy on the matter.

Looking back five moons ago, after Aedan gave his testimony to Jedrek, he pursued a life of solitude in an effort to escape his own guilt and start his life back up from scratch. With no family, friends, or home to return to, Aedan didn't have many options if there was any even to start with. His distrust for the Gateway to Hoole kept him away from returning to it in hopes of finding his future career, and his general lack of skill or knowledge made him somewhat unsuitable for any form of craftsmanship or profession. Flushed out of options, he originally opted to start a simple life and begin looking for a mate to at least complete his natural duty as an unoccupied owl.

The one good thing about Ambala over other kingdoms is the fact that Ambala's reach and authority is nearly nonexistent aside from the simplest of forms. Owls of Ambala can choose to be whatever they wish to be, so long as they obey the laws of the land. Being such a free and open society has been one of Ambala's most outstanding features since its inception as both a community and a kingdom. It's culture rivals that of the Guardians, but Ambala's influence is nowhere as great as the mighty Great Tree of Ga'Hoole.

For a good moon, Aedan tried biding his time as just another regular owl looking for a happy life. As time went on, however, he slowly couldn't accept what he was doing. The thoughts of how horrible it would have been to leave the lives of his friends and classmates in vain impacted him greatly, and the fact that those ill-intentioned owls took away his chance for a successful life greatly angered him; so he figured it was only right to seek payback against them by any means necessary.

Aedan remembered that night with Jedrek about three moons ago, and how that steered him to where his life is presently right now.

 **(***)**

"Oh, so now you want to do something useful is it lad?" Jedrek degrading voice slipped out a churr, he looked at Aedan buoyantly.

"I thought you'd turned down that request those many, many nights ago, why the sudden change of heart?" Jedrek added, now studying a parchment of paper lying on the ground of the hollow.

Aedan took in a deep breath, his eyes went narrower than the arrow slits located in many of the Others' castles.

"Just approve me for service already, before I start looking elsewhere that will allow me to fight."

Jedrek seemed to be appalled by the aggressiveness in Aedan's voice, this made Jedrek want Aedan to at least consider what he was getting into.

"You do realize that you aren't going to be apart of some kind of heroic legend where you save the owl world. This is merciless, indiscriminate fighting you may get into if there is actually an enemy out there. I don't think a young mind such as yourself would be ready to kill another living soul."

What Aedan said next deeply disturbed Jedrek. It wasn't like the times before when Aedan seemed to complacent on things, not holding a grudge or any particular emotions towards things.

"I don't care if I have to rip someone's gizzard out and eat it whole! Sign me up!"

Jedrek seemed just about convinced Aedan was ready to kill someone if he didn't get what he wanted. But Jedrek knew he had to be sure Aedan was committed to doing this.

"I'll ask you one last time, are you sure you want to devote part of your life to the Ambalian military? Once you're in, I can't just let you leave if you are too demoralized by the horrors of war."

Aedan didn't seem to react to the statement, he only asked venomously.

"Did I stutter?"

Jedrek broke in a nervous chuckle, before announcing, "Well lad, recklessness is one of the more useful traits to have as a soldier; you're in."

He offered a talon to Aedan, the two shook on it to solidify the agreement.

"Very well then, you're training begins once the unit is materialized, it'll take some time to convince the higher-ups to restore my unit to combat readiness. As I, too, worry about what may become of this kingdom if we continue to treat it as a joke."

Aedan just stared at him, there was many traits he could describe about this Brown-fish owl, but foolish wasn't one of them.

 **(***)**

Aedan inspected his colored plumage, memorizing the exact pattern and design used to denote his allegiance and unit. His once glistening brown feathers were replaced with a green over-coating, while his white spots remained largely intact or were amplified by white coloring. His face was also untouched, as well as his tail which remained in its natural color. On his upper back, was an clear white emblem of an owl covered in moss, which was the common mark of the Ambalian military. This emblem was used for identification purposes as well, but also paid homage to some of the first warriors of Ambala: the Greenowls of Ambala to be exact.

The Greenowls were owls that lived at the Brad — Ambala's living library, and now symbolic capital — seeking to help liberate the Great Tree of Ga'Hoole from the Striga's regime upon the request of the then exiled Band. Cloaking themselves in moss, the Greenowls used deception and surprise to win over a decisive victory against the Striga and his followers. Since then, Ambala has used the Greenowls as a stable example of their pride and determination to do the right thing.

This legacy continues on through the veins of the Ambalian military, with every combatant dyed with a green mixture. The same exact pattern Aedan had right now.

Such liveries were universally official for the three kingdoms, which is why, as Jedrek had pointed out, you do not trust owls without any markings.

"Those unmarked 'escorts' of yours on your trip to Ambala should have been your first indication something was wrong," Jedrek had pointed out, "never trust a unmarked owl, _ever!_ "

Aedan then gazed over at his slim battleclaws, something Aedan never thought he would ever have to use in battle. Ironically, he may not have to if everything works out alright for him.

Shifting his attention over to the crossbow that leaned against the wall, Aedan had only just been issued his own; and he was quite fascinated by it ever since he had received it.

Jedrek had stated that it was a moderately rare weapon to find on the battlefield, and it was hard enough for them just to acquire one for Aedan. That comes to no surprise to him, however, as the crossbow to battleclaw ratio in Ambala was roughly one to five. And that's excluding all the other factors that plagues the new designs.

Aedan remembered the first night he was out training with it, getting to shot it for the first time against an airborne owlipoppen.

 **(***)**

"Okay, remember! Aim for the target behind me, and only that target! The last thing I need is several bolts stuck in my back!"

A corporal, who goes by the name Damien, instructed to Aedan who was flying a distance above him.

Damien was a rather smaller than average Long-eared owl, but was just as agile as Aedan in terms of maneuverability. His ear tufts were his most noticeable feature, which always reminded Aedan of the ears a rabbit would have. As Aedan's instructor, Damien was assigned by Jedrek to help teach Aedan the practical knowledge of using the repeating crossbow. Damien's mature age and experience gave him a good ability to teach Aedan the same fundamental principles as Jedrek had taught to him.

Having been a full moon since Aedan had joined up with the unit, this would be the first time he actually fired the crossbow. Even then, he would only have just that one magazine worth of bolts to work with.

"That stuff don't grow on trees," Damien reminded, "aim carefully."

The target, was a flight-worthy owlipoppen carried along by a string Damion had ahold of. This method allowed the trainees to fire on a moving target that imitated the same size and typical motions of an average owl combatant without actually hurting the instructor. For safety reasons, they did this over an area no owl lived, and also forced Aedan to only be able to fire straight down at it in a dive.

"You would've enjoyed it if you joined while I was training," Damien mentioned, "we'd shoot at crows for practice; them suckers wouldn't know what hit em'. Shame we were forced to stop . . . 'cruel behavior' they'd said; you turn your back on them and you know what they do? Rib you to shreds! Yet we're the savage ones? Unbelievable!"

While Aedan tended to keep his distance from other owls, as to not get too close to them like he did with his now gone friends. It was hard for him to ignore what Damien had to say most of the time. His mischievous personality was synergized with a remarkable sense of responsibility — perfect for a leadership position should there ever be a need for one. Aedan couldn't help but smile at some of the things he said, Damien was the perfect instructor.

"Alright, you ready soldier?" Damien asked, looking back at him with an assuring smile.

Aedan clicked his battleclaws to extended, allowing him to operate his talons freely — and more importantly, pull the string to fire the crossbow.

"Yes sir!"

"Dive!"

Aedan nosed down, aligning himself just ahead of the owlipoppen to compensate for the time it takes for the bolt to get where the owlipoppen would be. After several seconds, Aedan pulled on the string and a single bolt sprang out from the crossbow that was in place above him.

The development of the repeating crossbow took many years to materialize, but at some point the Guardians of Ga'Hoole manage to create such a design with the idea in mind to outclass and outrange other adversaries. But even that is too simple of an explanation compared to what Aedan has already learned.

Since the War of the Fire and Ice, weapons with more reach tended to grant the attacker a more advantageous position compared to those just with traditional battleclaws. The first example of which was the fire branch, which while crude, could effectively deny an owl from flying in close proximity to the attacker unless they wish to set ablaze in an extraordinarily painful death. The concurring weapon of choice was the ice splinter, which was also an easily accessible weapon that offered far greater reach than both claws or any other melee-weapon. Due to the effectiveness of this weapon, the Guardians tried creating a new weapon of similar purpose to act as an even more effective range weapon.

Looking for a work-around, the Guardians quickly began studying one of the Other's most notable inventions: the bow. Using a basic design, they replicated it and scaled it down for usage of larger owls. The original bow was to be operated with talons, but this quickly became more complicated as its handling was not the most ideal for combat situations. It was awkward to use, even harder to find a spot to grab another arrow, and eventually the initial design was soon dropped, but the concept was hardly forgotten.

At some point, after the War of the Ember, the repeating crossbow design was proposed. Instead of being carried with the talons, it was mounted on the back of the owl, and was fixed to fire towards the front. Held on by a strap to maintain its position on the owl and operated through a string that acted as a lever. This made aiming and firing it far more simpler, but at the cost of the inability to reload while in the air. The only remedy for this was the magazine it uses, which feeds additional bolts in. However, being gravity-fed meant that the owl couldn't be inverted after shooting a bolt or else they risk jamming it.

Furthermore, once out of bolts, it is impossible to reload it until they're on the ground — meaning owls were limited in what they could go after and how many bolts they can fire.

Regardless of these limitations, the crossbow was still a grossly effective weapon that changed the balance of power across the kingdoms. Battleclaws were no longer the dominant weapon in the air . . . but it was indeed still the most common and much easier to produce and maintain weapon for these developing armies.

The first bolt Aedan fired missed slightly to the right of the owlipoppen, Aedan readjusted his aim by banking slightly to the left while in the dive, carefully extending his wings when adjusting.

Pulling his talon with the string back to its original position, the string pulled itself back and the bolt slid in, ready to fire again. Aedan pulled the string a moment later.

The jolt of the crossbow frightened Aedan at first, but after the second time he got used to it. The crossbow was designed to have the bolt coming out just above his head, to ensure he couldn't shoot himself by accident. One of his initial fears when first operating the weapon.

The second bolt went right through the owlipoppen target, almost completely destroying it. While it wasn't as sturdy as an owl, it just came to show how destructive it would be to be hit by a bolt from this monster of a weapon.

Aedan couldn't help but chuckle as he extended his wings to come out of his dive, it felt great using this new weapon.

And, as he would come to learn, it was a great choice to join up now rather than later.

 **(***)**

Having been trained with the new weapon for a full moon now, Aedan went from being considered a soldier to a hunter.

While the two terms may similar, the difference in naming lies in purpose with the soldier being a standard grunt of the military with melee-eccentric weapons, while the hunter being a more specialized combatant using ranged weapons.

These definitions are important to denote as they represent the entire doctrine of the kingdoms militaries. The general rule of thumb being that the soldiers are used in-mass and operate on the principle of numbers, while hunters are used sparingly, and operate based on quality.

This is due in large part to the fact of how difficult it is to make, train, and maintain crossbows for military use. As such, while a single hunter may be worth more than several soldiers, it is hardly feasible to maintain a full-on war of attrition just by using hunters.

This is why the encounter with that unknown enemy over the Barrens proved to be so important to Jedrek. Especially with what weapons they had in possession.

"That is what disturbs me lad," Jedrek had said, "these owls couldn't have been disorganized hireclaws and actually have working crossbows, it's just not possible."

Crossbows are a logistical nightmare as well, even in peacetime they require constant maintenance and attention. Aedan learned this very quickly, after getting a run-down for basic repair and care. Only a well-supplied kingdom with many talented owls could effectively maintain an army with hunters.

To put into perspective how much different the two units were, a typical Ambalian soldier unit was division sized: eighty to a hundred owls, which would be further divided into subunits that varies from size to size. The division's support assets typically included a blacksmith and smaller chaw-sized reconnaissance units. In contrast, a hunter unit never exceeded a full squadron: sixteen owls, and its unit is filled with a variety of support assets.

During most times, Ambala's military was largely volunteer based, assigning them roles best suited for their capabilities.

One such example of this divide is the size of the owl, with larger owls typically being more useful carrying the heavier and more bulky armor of a soldier, while medium sized owls tended to be pressed into the hunter role due to their superior maneuverability while still being able to carry a respectable amount of extra weight.

One of the main benefits of joining up early is the additional training time, which means a nobody like Aedan could be apart of a more demanding unit. In a wartime scenario, Aedan would of received little training, and probably end up as a soldier doing the dirty work.

The larger purpose of the two separate kind of units varies from kingdom to kingdom. Jedrek had explained this before, but only briefly. Aedan could reason out what information he had to puzzle together what each kingdom's military doctrine was like.

Ambala's current military doctrine was — as Jedrek put it — "working barely". The Ambalian military is one of the oldest and most balanced of the kingdoms, however, little innovation has been done to improve it since its creation.

Ambala's army was by nature a defensive oriented army, focusing more so on large unit formations of soldiers to hold the line in large, long-drawn out battles. Only recently had the Ambalians began investing time into more offensive oriented hunter units such as the one Aedan was apart of. The Ambalians only did focus on hunters once they realized that they could operate multiple roles, particularly combat reconnaissance and interdiction. Aside from that, while the Ambalians hardly wanted a war, they had spent years developing new tactics and making breakthroughs to counter threats beyond their borders.

A great irony it was, for the kingdoms of S'yrthghar who spawned from a similar culture and were meant to defeat enemies to owlkind, would inevitably become enemies amongst themselves. The arm races between the kingdoms, while a secret, were far more obvious than it seemed.

It couldn't have been more ironic even if the owls tried; while the vast expansion of weapon production and army innovation could be seen as a bad thing, life expectancies in the Southern Kingdom were at its peak at around this time. The lack of lawless gangs of bandits and hireclaws as well as any additional hostile force has kept owls from either joining up them, or being ultimately killed when resisting. The security provided by local soldiers also helped prevent unfortunate losses of life due to crows or natural disasters such as wildfires.

As such, the lack of any forces to kill off owls early lead to a rapid increase in population in all areas.

 _. . . While saying this, it is important to note that all good things inevitably end badly . . ._

While Aedan knew quite a lot about the Kingdom of Ambala, the Kingdom of Tyto's military was a different story.

The only information he could gather was that the Tyto's military is that it was significantly smaller than Ambala's due to Tyto's small population (due in large part to the enormous loss of life during both the War of Fire and Ice and the War of the Ember as well. Tyto made up for this by having a far more experienced pool of soldiers and officers, as well as a far better trained and maintained hunter units.

"Kingdom of Tyto loves to throw their hunters over the border sometimes. While I used to be stationed down south, we'd tended to avoid confronting them due to their general superiority over us." Jedrek had recollected nights before, when talking about this subject.

The basic doctrine of the Tyto army was more offensive focused, relying on superior hunters to eliminate opposing hunters to gain an overall strategic superiority, then working cooperatively with the larger soldier units to defeat the enemy. In large part, this doctrine was more so aimed to counter Ambala, but they would never admit to such a clear agenda.

"Sometimes you gotta wonder who those Tytos were you encountered over the Barrens," Jedrek brought up suddenly, "it wouldn't be too hard to believe the Kingdom of Tyto was behind of all of this, now would it?"

Aedan had put this theory to thought before, but it just didn't add up to him. Why would the Kingdom of Tyto bother with owlnapping random owls half continent away from them? But not having any evidence aside from his own experience, Aedan couldn't argue for or against the idea.

Lastly, Silverveil's military has always been focused on dealing with unaffiliated hireclaws. Their military far less organized than the other two kingdoms, and they rely on local technology superiority to gain the upper edge on the isolated hireclaws. For a kingdom whose sole purpose is to guard Cape Glaux and its inhabitants, Silverveil seemed to be the last kind of kingdom anyone would want in charge of it.

 _Better than leaving it unguarded._ Aedan thought to himself, before a screech grabbed his attention.

Stepping out of the hollow and onto a nearby branch, Aedan watched as several owls took off from a nearby tree all at once. Several other groups soon followed, all of them from separate trees on the same hilltop.

Aedan tracked one owl in particular, the muscular Brown-fish owl with a similar green livery lead the group and ascend to the dark, moonless sky overhead. All of them had their combat equipment and brought along with them their high spirits.

Of little relevance to Aedan, this particular location the unit was based upon was known as _Pelli's Hilltop_ , as this location had something to do with that named owl. To what importance or purpose of whoever that owl was Aedan did not truly know, the book he was reading was one of the first legends of Soren; which was written by a scholarly Spotted owl known as Otulissa. Perhaps her work would shed some light as to why that individual is so important.

The author's name, Otulissa, did sound familiar to Aedan, but he didn't quite remember where he had heard it from . . . didn't his aunt mention it once before when he was just an owlet? Aedan could hardly remember, nor was he truly that concerned about it. The legend was a good read, he could certainly relate to that Barn owl in the story . . . he was just as confused as it was.

 _And to think, we are still dealing with this kind of racdrops._ Aedan sighed, before looking back at the closed book. His attention was diverted once again when the owls taking flight began chanting a well-known song.

 _We are the Greenowls of Ambala,_

 _Across thermals we scrambala._

 _To the top with a bounce_

 _We would like to announce_

 _That downdrafts don't faze us_

 _And hardly amaze us._

As their confident chorus faded across the sky above, Aedan couldn't help but realize that they were the first line of defense for the free owls of this world. Standing ahead of the rest of the kingdoms, ahead of even the Guardians — no, these owls are the true Guardians of Ambala. Not some mythological legend out in the middle of the sea.

Despite these realizations, he began to think about why they were in such a good mood this early in the night. It was most unusual as well that practically the entire twelve of the fifteen members of the squadron were deployed together with a full combat load as well. Most sorties were spread out over four groups of three, each having their own patrols at a certain time period, but not now. Furthermore, they were flying northeast, towards The Barrens, and beyond that was Silverveil.

"What could they possibly be doing in Silverveil?" Aedan mumbled to himself, it wasn't the first time he was kept uninformed by Jedrek.

But before he could contemplate on the thought further, two figures circled around the tree and landed on the branch alongside him. The two comrades seemed quite excited for what the night had to offer, and the Barn owl — a particularly confident one at that, picked up a question.

"Hey Aedan, Damien here has given us the night off from training," The Barn owl, whose name was Gershom, glanced over to Damien to reaffirm that was what he had said, who nodded, allowing for the Tyto to continue speaking, "and I was going to ask if you would like to go along with us to Lake Hortense; I'm sure there's a lot of things we could do there."

Aedan had his mind set for the night and wasn't in the mood to change up his plans. Besides, since that incident where he lost all of his friends, he wasn't at all confident in leaving the general proximity of his new home. Upon hearing the rejection, the Barn owl simply extended his wings.

"Suit yourself." He said, before taking off with Damien.

Aedan paced back into the hollow and got ahold of his book again, opening it to where he last left off. He silently seethed to himself about his current predicament even to this night. Five moons, still nothing to be said about the whereabouts of his friends. Hagsmire, even his simple questions about his father were turned down.

"Why won't you answer any of my questions about my father?" He had asked, only to get that same, stupid reply.

"If you went along with me that night instead of following your friends then perhaps I would've!" He would reply, not giving any ground.

The only thing Aedan learned about his father was that at one point his father was the leader of this squadron, the 6th Evergreen Squadron. It was formerly the most experience formation of the entire Ambalian army, until the dissolution of many of its former members and positions were made. The formation has since then been under the command of Jedrek, and has been relocated several times, the other location of interest was a commonly disputed stronghold on the border between Tyto and Ambala.

It was said, that the location housed the largest quantity of mu metal on the entire continent, and also acted as a well a strategic location to retain dominance over the border.

Aedan didn't know what any of this meant, of course, but he figured mu metal was an important material to have.

This knowledge didn't prove to be helpful in uncovering his father in any further detail. All it did was make Aedan more and more curious.

It wasn't just that he wanted to have answered either. What in Glaux name were the owl kingdoms doing? When was something good going to come out of this? Or is he just going to waste his life here in the hollow of a tree with the colors of a "noble" owl? Perhaps the legend he was reading, _The Capture_ as it was titled, had the answer.

Flipping the page to a new chapter, named _Hortense's Story._ A small note of paper was revealed upon flipping the page. Not being anything related to the book and not of his own writing, Aedan quickly took a look at it, it read:

" _At the next full moon, the lark shall fly to the eagle's nest in solitude to sing its next song. It shan't be late, or else it won't receive the worm."_

 _~ An old friend._

"What in hagsmire!?" Aedan took several paces away from the book. He had just got this book several nights ago, how did- . . .

There was something deeply disturbing about the message. There was no way it was meant for anyone else; as the mentioning of the lark must be in referring to him, as it was the lark who had indirectly saved his life during the encounter with those Tytos over The Barrens. But even if that was the case, how did this owl know? He only told the story to Jedrek, and the parliament of Ambala were likely the only ones to hear about it.

And "eagle's nest"? Where was that suppose to be? There are many eagles in Ambala, so finding this one particular nest would take nights, moons even! And besides, how could he trust such an anonymous letter? Even if it was indeed supposedly from an "old friend".

But then again, after five full moons of inaction, he was just about willing to do anything to find out what exactly was going on . . .


	10. Calm Before the Storm

**A/N:** **It's been, slightly over a month since I have last updated, I think? Well, you know the drill of what I'm going to say, and I'm sure it's better to leave that unsaid. I haven't forgotten about this story, just haven't had the time. It has been awhile, so hopefully I'll be able to hear back from some of you. But I'll keep it at that, I just don't know what else to say really. Sorry for being such a . . . buzzkill. :(**

* * *

" _Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers."_

~ Voltaire

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

 _Calm Before the Storm_

Hoots and enthralled clamoring returned to Pelli's Hilltop, along with all twelve of the owls sent out on the mission towards The Barrens; or as Aedan speculated: Silverveil.

It had to have been a long trip, no doubt about it, as it took them half the night just to get back to their operating area; nighttime was already fading, and with it, so was the confidence Aedan had about his ability to crack the secret message he had found in his personal book.

The message had several code words Aedan simply could not decipher, the words being: eagle's nest, song, and worm. The only thing he had gathered from the message so far was that supposedly an old companion had written it, and to what authenticity this claim had was still in question. The mentioning of a songbird, lark, was clearly in reference to him: as one such songbird had distracted the mysterious owls that were looking for him during the previous ordeal.

How the writer was aware of that particular circumstance was also not clear, causing more concern for Aedan in regards to the nature of the individual who had written to him and what else they may know about him.

The best guess Aedan had about the other parts of the message is that eagle's nest perhaps was a place of importance that wouldn't seem too obvious to any other owl. Where this nest was located of course was still unknown, but Aedan was working his hardest to think of any possible place in his mind that may connect him with this point of interest.

The part about the song also had some ambiguity when it came to exact context. If the lark was to sing its next song — or as Aedan gathered, if Aedan were to speak about something again, what could it be? Surely, if this owl knew about the incident with the lark, then i0t would know everything there needs to be known about the first contact with the hostile forces. So there had to be another line of reasoning for it, maybe it was something else entirely. How was he to know what this individual wanted out of him? It bothered him greatly ever since he had read it.

Lastly, most confusing of all: the worm. As if, the message was trying to convince him of some kind of incentive for going, despite all the risk and doubt that played deep in his mind and gizzard. But what reward would he gain for going; or perhaps the better question would be: what would he lose by not going?

All of these questions trapped Aedan's thoughts in one, big bubble in which he couldn't escape contemplating on. It was the first offer of adventure, and, more importantly, answers that he sought after for so long. Answers in which they may finally be explicated fully and resolve the lingering questions that have yet to be acknowledged.

Whoever this individual happened to be and what they offered was, if not coincidentally, the antithesis of what he was offered now by Jedrek and the rest of his comrades. This return was further proof of that fact.

The arriving soldiers made no effort to hide their pompous perspectives of the mission, and mentioning of their now eligible kill count. A feat that can only be accomplished by killing another owl, there was no other way to refute what Aedan's ears have heard.

Kill counts were a custom first started by hireclaws during the olden times when conflict was plentiful and the demand for able-bodied soldiers were high. As a result to this influx of competition for recruitment and increased services, hireclaws would tend to keep track of their body counts to use as a basis to demonstrate combat experience and effectiveness. As one may expect, the kill-count system had its flaws, mainly in reliability as hireclaws tended to exacerbate their kill counts beyond reasonability in hopes of employment. One factor that counteracted this was when the highest bracket would make a name for themselves, making them easily recognized.

Setting aside the trivial facts, this very immoral practice never made any headway to anywhere aside from hireclaws. As the Guardians themselves were too prideful and selfless to consider counting the number of lives they have extinguished, and the common soldiers were too disinterested in such cruel practices. No one did it . . . that was, until the arrival of the first hunter units in the years after The War of the Ember.

While hunters didn't count their number of kills for employment purposes, the idea was quickly put into practice to help appease the ego and impact such soldiers had on the battlefield.

It was a known fact that hunters — or any owl for that matter with a repeating crossbow, would have a better chance of surviving than the common soldier. As such, the real measure of the hunters effectiveness lied in his ability to kill.

Long story short, kill counts were merely stable numbers used to prove one's usefulness and give them a feeling of specialness. As if it was some kind of game . . . but, in a way, that's what it was right now, just a game. There were no real wars, and the only time killing happened is when two opposing hunters units happened to fight it out on the border. Like two egos colliding into each other . . . it was a bizarre sight.

And Aedan now wondered what they had accomplished over Silverveil. . . killing owls just to further their kill scores, what good came out of it?

"That was quite a trip," Jedrek suddenly walked into the hollow where Aedan stood, Aedan turned to look at him, "though, it's a shame you couldn't join us lad, but in time you'll be able to."

While there was nothing wrong with the comment he had made, Aedan was more skeptical about what had actually happened. Clearly, they must of saw combat and scored an encouraging victory; that much was apparent from the innocent, almost juvenile grin Jedrek had. Though, when Jedrek noticed the questionable look on Aedan's face, his reversal happened almost as quickly as Aedan's own inner thoughts.

"Well, er . . . not that anything really happened. It's just been awhile since we've actually gotten to use our weapons."

Using half-truths, Jedrek did not appeal to Aedan at the slightest. This was a cause for suspicion for the already perturbed Aedan.

"So, who exactly did you kill? And don't try to deflect the question, I overheard some of our squadron mates talking about it."

Jedrek groaned slightly, "You always have to be asking questions, don't you lad?"

There was a pause, the two just looked at each other before Jedrek gave in.

"Well, if it'll put your mind to ease, we just happened to come across some crows on our way back. Given how they were threatening us, we decided it would be best to deal with them before they mob a helpless owl. That's all this was about, the soldiers just want to make an excuse to get themselves closer to that title of 'ace'."

No one really knew where the term "ace" came from, as it was a word of uncommon usage and unknown origin or meaning. Aedan had took some time to research about this in his free time when he first heard the term be used, he uncovered that the term originated from the Others — more precisely — the Others literature. The word meant something along the lines of an individual who managed to accomplish a great deed in combat, typically with an arbitrary kill-count that satisfies such a title. To the Others, whoever held this title seemed to be the equivalent of a Guardian, and their values.

Of the owls in this unit, only Jedrek claims to hold that title. He had said that while working with his father, he hadn't quite gotten to that point yet, but Aedan's father and some other members did. He said they had accomplished far more than he could ever do in a lifetime.

While the case Jedrek had made about shooting crows could indeed be true, Aedan was hardly convinced, and found a couple holes in the story. Why would the squadron members be so excited just over shooting some crows? But Aedan couldn't argue, he had other things on his mind. The contents of that message began to creep back into his conscious.

Jedrek sighed, "Listen lad, I know it's been tough for you these past few moons, and there's a lot that still concerns you. But I'm grateful that while these questions can be important to you, you've have focused diligently and passionately on becoming a soldier of the Ambalian army. Based off from what I hear from Damien, you have been exceptional in your training and practice, and this gives me high-expectations for you."

He stumbled forward slightly, but the move was intentional, as he continued.

"So, after a great deal of consideration, I decided to grant you a pass temporarily for a couple of nights; give you some time to relax, recollect yourself, and explore anything that you desire."

Aedan blinked, he didn't give much of a reaction to the recompense, there wasn't much to be gained from it besides some more time to read and get resettled. Though, a sudden thought ran through his head.

"Say, so I can decide when this little 'break' is going to be?" Aedan asked, somewhat unexpectedly.

"Well . . . sure, I guess. So long as nothing serious happens and your duties aren't required, I'm sure anytime will work out."

Aedan eyes widen, he began realizing what he could use with that time. It was the perfect opportunity to spend time looking for that "eagle's nest" the message was talking about, all he would have to do is make sure his break period is during the next full moon which would be about . . . a half dozen nights give or take. This opportunity was already exciting him.

Jedrek noticed this and churred, "Ah, it seems your reaction was quite delayed. I'm sure there's a lot of things you could do during that time. I know for one thing you'd like to check up with your parents- well, aunt and uncle . . . I know you don't like them, but any relative is still worth talking to, you should be grateful. Besides, I'm sure you'll like to remember the surroundings of where you grew up."

If it couldn't get any better, than that surely did the trick. Aedan nearly jumped up in realization.

 _No, it couldn't be . . ._

"Well anyways, I got to file a report on the sortie we just did. I'll leave you to finish up your duties for tonight. Try to let me know when you want that break, okay? I'll see you soon."

The two saluted and Jedrek left the hollow soon after. Aedan just stood there, appalled from his own comprehension. His beak hung open slightly, before he swiftly turned around to fetch his book.

"I knew I heard that name Hortense before," Aedan lectured to himself, "she used to live in a place right near here, and if my theory proves correct-."

He paused as he opened up the book: _The Capture_ by Otulissa, scrambling to the chapter the note was left in. As he suspected, it was located on the chapter titled _Hortense's Story_. After skimming through and skipping ahead certain parts of the book, he confirmed that Hortense is associated with eagles and began drawing up a final conclusion.

 _Whoever wrote this message is very clever . . . putting the note on the chapter that serves as a clue. So "eagle's nest" has been narrowed down to Hortense's original home, which I know is located relatively close to where I used to live. There is much to take away from all of this._

Aedan's thoughts continued in a similar fashion. Theories as to who the individual could possibly be began to arise, with one being that it was the actual Hortense herself. However, this was dismissed when it was worked out that Hortense would've likely moved on from the place eventually and it had to be someone who he knew. Could it be Gowyr?

Gowyr always was somewhat keen on hiding his identity in such a fashion, and Gowyr could be trying to get in contact with him secretly. What better satisfaction could there be other than finding out he was alright? It could be anyone for that matter and Aedan would feel slightly better about himself.

Though, a part of him still couldn't bare the shame of being a coward.

Even so, Aedan was eager to find out whoever this wise conveyer was, and would do whatever was required of him to arrange a time to find his old home.

 _Odd someone coincidentally also may know where I live . . ._ Aedan realized, as he never told anyone about his residence. _Perhaps this isn't something I should take lightly, just in case-_

He didn't want to think about it any further.

* * *

Full moon, the clouds had begun to scatter, and the stars appeared beyond it. It was to be a night of great importance to Aedan and he wanted to do it right. But caution was always his first priority, not action.

Flying to directly to the southeast, passing straight through the heart of Ambala, it was a majestic region. How the valleys transformed into flatlands, then over to dense forest always fascinated him, all he could imagine was how it would look on the ground, from a different perspective.

Such distractions didn't hold much sway, however, as he neared his area of interest. The familiar landscape and air currents were subtly encountered, only to be made explicitly clear moments later.

Getting a sense of direction once again from being in familiar airspace, he initiated a sharp banking turn rightwards before leveling off. His eyes proceeded to scan the surrounding tree line for any possible locations fitting the description.

The previous couple of nights were relatively short and not noteworthy. Training and standard operating procedures summed up most of those nights quite well, with the occasional conversation occurring at times. Mostly these talks would start between him and both Damien and Gershom.

Gershom was the Barn owl that was also assigned to Damien for training. Like Aedan, he was a recruit that was still learning to become a true hunter. Unlike Aedan, however, Gershom had nothing really to hide, as he was always running his beak about even the most irrelevant of details. Compared to what Aedan remembers from Gowyr, Gershom was older and more rugged in body structure, his face also wasn't nearly as white as Gowyr's. The more obvious difference is in personality, but that goes for anyone, not just Gowyr and Gershom.

Getting away from them tonight was a different subject, as the two hadn't been expecting it and were hoping to dump their shifts onto Aedan given how the rest of the squadron would be out on sorties, much like the nights before. When asked, Aedan had claimed he was going to see relatives, but nothing could be further from the truth.

He had no intention of meeting up with his fake parents, the ones that neglected him since birth. He'd even wager they would think he was a stranger or even an intruder if he arrived at their hollow.

"Worthless twats." Aedan muttered to himself angrily, he would've rather seen them picked off from those owls over The Barrens than his friends. But despite all these regretful thoughts, he'd never considered sacrificing himself just for heroics.

 _It was a futile thing to do, even in that situation, someone had to get that message-._ He stopped himself, remembering how even with the message it hasn't done any real good. Maybe tonight this individual will change that.

After a few minutes, Aedan started to become frustrated. What was he doing wrong? This surely was the area, and there was no sign of . . .

His eyes caught sight of something strange at the entrance of one hollow. Though almost barely noticeable, the distinct shape of an earthworm was recognized.

Aedan never recalled any earthworms just to show up inside hollows, nor would any creature bother to carry it up there for any real purpose. Not even larks eat earthworms, which is part of the confusing part about the message, but now it made sense. It was a small, but easily distinguishable way to find the exact location.

Aedan began his approach towards the tree, stretching his talons as he did so. Covering them was a layer of sharpened metal, iron to be exact. These were without a doubt, the finest example of battleclaws Aedan had ever seen.

Compared to the copper training claws Aedan had during his time at the Gateway to Hoole, these Ambalian issued battleclaws were far heavier and sharper than the former, but also had its own unique characteristics compared to other claws. Being a hunter, battleclaws issued to them were typically made with that idea in mind, focusing more on trimming unneeded areas to lighten them and to produce less drag. They were also tipped differently to be more effective for high-speed slashing attacks over the traditional stabbing thrust done by other soldiers. The only setbacks are service life and sturdiness of the claws during heavy usage. After all, they were made with the expectation in mind that they wouldn't see much action besides non-combat purposes such as gripping branches or cutting certain objects.

While Aedan couldn't take the crossbow with him for a non-combat tour, he could take his battleclaws at anytime and anywhere given the fact he is an actual soldier of Ambala. He'd figured the battleclaws would be an understandable accessory for his trip to this remote location.

As, if something sudden were to happen this time, he was prepared.

Finally landing at the tree where he sighted the earthworm laid out at the entrance of the hollow. He quickly inspected it before concluding that this had to be the location. Why else were there to be an earthworm up here? It had to be what the passage meant: a symbolic hint based on the message had said. It was an overwhelmingly complex riddle for what? It had to be something important, or this individual just wanted to play around with him.

It could also be both if one were to consider the possibilities.

Finally, peering into the hollow, he saw an owl he just knew in the back of his mind who would it be. Whether by his gizzard or true intellect, he had supreme confidence it would the owl that stood before him now, the exact form nothing but a darkened silhouette from the contrast of the lighting, but obviously made out to be a member of the Tyto genus. His eyes lightened up, it was almost just perfect.

But, as Aedan's eyes adjusted to the light from outside to the hollow, and the details of the Tyto became more visible, several individuals began to be ruled out. The Tyto was larger than the average male, so Gowyr was immediately ruled out to Aedan's ultimate disappointment. But it wasn't just that, although Aedan was no good at remembering how other people looked, he noticed that this owl had more of a creamy front, which differed from most other Barn owls.

As he was observing all of this, the Tyto finally noticed his presence and greeted him.

"Ah, what a pleasant surprise, I knew you would make it!"

The feminine qualities of her voice could not be mistaken, but in that exact same moment he realized that it couldn't be Kolina. Kolina had a whiter plumage overall than this one. So if it wasn't Gowyr or Kolina, then that could only mean she was . . .

"Vara."

Fresh but faint memories flooded into Aedan's mind about everything he remembered from her. She was a wildcard, the odd one out for the most part. A clear introvert, she placed her confidence in books over other people; relying on theories over opinions. Formality and dedicated observation was her one specialty Aedan had ironically observed himself, however, everything else about her was pure speculation. She was about as disconnected from the group as Gowyr was, in fact, Aedan would argue he knew Gowyr better than Vara.

And as it would turn out, it may as well seem they were meeting for the first time.

To Aedan's surprise, her face expressed nothing but confusion. Her obsidian eyes remained fixated on him blankly, before seemingly returning to their normal form.

"Vara? Oh, that's quite smart Aedan, using aliases instead of actual names in your report. I remember how you used to try to do that while at the Gateway to Hoole, I always found that to be quite amusing."

Now it was Aedan's turn to express his complete and utmost bewilderment. What in the world was she talking about? Her name wasn't Vara? Aliases that _he_ made? Was this some kind of joke or was she serious? What if this wasn't the real Vara and just someone pretending to be her? Aedan suddenly grew concerned.

"Wait a minute, so are you Vara or not?"

She blinked, "Don't you remember? You were the one that tried to give us these names. It's not my real name, of course, as that would be quite silly, but in your report you referred to us by those names; the ones you tried to use for us while we were all together."

Aedan suddenly became nauseous, his gizzard seemed to twist inward. His head started to hurt the more he thought about it. When did he ever try to make up names to refer to them by? He had no memory of this, and he was certain that he had a good recollection of what went on at the Gateway to Hoole. Was she trying to confuse him intentionally?

Vara, or at least, the female Tyto Aedan assumed to be Vara, motioned with her wing for him to come in, taking notice to his perplexed state.

"Come, I'm sure now that you're here we can try and address these disparities in your reports."

"You're saying there's more than just names I got wrong?" His voice trembled with anxiety. He almost didn't want to talk with her, fearing that she would just only confuse him even more.

Aedan entered the average sized hollow, taking notice to the variety of notes and other papers scattered about throughout the hollow. He watched his every step to ensure he doesn't accidentally step on one that would annoy his hostess. Judging by the amount of information written on each paper, she must've been busy during the nights leading up to this exchange. But why?

Vara neared one of her books that remained open set it aside to a more organized pile at the edge of the hollow. Upon doing so, she turned to him and said.

"You know, I never would've thought to see you become a soldier . . . it just never did fit your kind of personality. I guess I was wrong."

Aedan gave her a soft glare, "Are you trying to say I made the wrong choice?"

She shook her head, "No, of course not. It's just, you always presented yourself more as an idealist than a head-strong warrior."

Aedan shrugged his wings, "Things change. Besides, how else are you going to save your classmates? In fact, what are you doing about it besides criticizing me over a choice I made that did not fall into your predictions?"

"I didn't- well, hmm . . ." she grabbed a quill and a patch of paper, "I think this is what it all comes down to, I believe the quill is mightier than the claws. We both have our ways to handle the aftereffects of what had happened, but in the end, we're after the same exact thing: finding out who took the class, and what came about of them."

She gazed up at him after writing something down very briefly on the fresh piece of paper. "Now, let's start with the more concerning matter, you're inaccuracies in both your report and seemingly your memory. Care to start us off?"

Aedan was aghast by the question; did she really think he had it wrong? There was a lot that needed to be answered on her end as well. What was all of this about? Just to find a hole in his story or try to even deceive him from his own memories? What was she truly after for her to go through all of this just for a little chat? Besides, there had to be other reasons; as she clearly had read the report and made her own assessment on the matter already.

Then, he began to wonder how exactly she made it out from the ambush in the Canyonlands.

"Inaccuracies? Under whose measure, Vara? In fact, you've got a lot to explain yourself if you want anything out of me, as it sounds like what you're trying to get at is that everything I said is not true. You can pretend all you want that everything I said is false, but I can say for certain you _weren't_ with us after the ambush and that you _were_ acting suspiciously yourself throughout the time I knew you; perhaps instead you should explain yourself regarding your confrontation with Gowyr during our trip just before the ambush? How about that for a start?"

Aedan was surprised he said all of that, he wasn't planning on being that harsh, but it was truly what he was thinking at the moment. She on the other wing didn't seem taken aback by the outburst, instead, writing down details and notes on the paper before returning a glance. While indifferent, he could tell that she wasn't exactly pleased with doing this kind of discussion.

Despite this, she did something Aedan didn't expect.

"Trust is something we must work for again, is that so? Well, I can start off by saying you _were_ inaccurate in many details from what _I_ know, there could be even more details I'm not aware of, but the fact we both have different perspectives on the same occasion frightens me, Aedan. That's part of the reason why I sent you here, because without your input, I hate to say this, but all of these inaccuracies seem . . . _intentional_."

Aedan was appalled, he could see her trying to make the case he was wrong, but intentionally fabricating parts of the story? What kind of owl was she just to think he would do that?

"You must be yoicks to believe I would ever lie about such a thing." Aedan retorted quickly, but Vara began to walk slowly around him.

"Yes, what actually happened to you, myself, and the others was tragic and is in no way just a lie . . . I'm afraid things get complicated once we start looking at the background. Tell me, do you remember your early moons as a hatchling?"

Aedan nodded, "Quite vividly, I lived right around here actually with my aunt and uncle who I hate with a passion. I still don't know what happened to my actual parents, but that doesn't matter to me right now."

"Hmm, interesting." She proceeded to write down some additional details on the paper. This time, Aedan took notice to that action and was slightly disturbed, was she profiling him?

She elaborated, "I think, Aedan, you're generalizing too much. Can you actually remember an actual instance of when you were just an owlet? It can be any point of time."

 _What was the point of these kind of questions?_ Aedan thought, realizing that she may just be trying to stall time.

"I . . . yeah- no, I can't remember an exact moment as an owlet, nobody can! It was all boring and uninteresting just dealing with the same old routine every night with my aunt and uncle. I was simply too young. Why are you asking me this anyways? Are you trying to avoid answering the question I'd asked you earlier?"

She finished up her additional notes before replying, "Oh, I have no reason for asking these questions — was just wondering."

Aedan frowned, "I'm not answering any more of your stupid questions without knowing what you did, it almost seems like you yourself have something to hide."

She churred, "Quite aggravated, aren't you? I remember that about you as well, you had the patience of a twig. Now, let me fill in the gaps for you."

She walked towards the exit of the hollow, looking out into the night moonlit sky.

"Those many nights ago when you had first arrived to the Gateway to Hoole, when I first met you, you were a quiet, shy little thing that was helpless to the outside world like everyone else who had first arrived there. You had nothing but fascination to the world, I could tell by the way you would look at me when I would help you on your assignments; but, you also had the look of someone who wishes to run away from their past, or simply just trying to hide it. Even so, you always hung close to me throughout those early moons, but all that started to change . . . as you yourself started to change."

Aedan disagreed with her points but remained silent, wanting to hear what else she had to say. So far, it was completely against his understanding, she was the more quiet type, not the more social one. She helped in some topics yes, but not nearly to the level she has described. Could she be confused? Yoicks even? Aedan didn't know.

"Your personality started to change, like the rest of the group. Everyone seemed suddenly fixated together as if they were a bunch of leeches latching on to its host. You in particular started having an obsession over that Barn owl, who you referred to as "Gowyr". The moment you developed your obsession, you stopped recognizing me, time and time again I would walk up to you only for you to completely ignore me. The others were following a similar pattern. That was when I realized something was wrong."

Aedan had trouble comprehending what she was saying, but he was following along. Some things did seem to connect, but many parts of her story didn't match up. Still, he listened on in silence.

"Now you may be surprised, but I too was concerned about the safety of our 'test', as it were. However, for a different reason than compared to what you've stated in your report. This is when I started to suspect the owl you call 'Gowyr', as he was quite adamant on hiding his true thoughts."

Aedan looked up at her, disbelieving what he was hearing. Wishing to hear no further of it, he quickly tried to debunk her unfounded claims.

"You can't be serious, he's the youngest one out of all of us! Are you saying that he was one of the elements behind all of this hysteria?"

Vara looked back at him, "Now, I never did say that, did I?"

Aedan opened his beak, only to close it moments later. What she had said was true, perhaps he was rushing to conclusions.

She continued, "I started to do my own investigations and research into the matter, trying to figure out who he was, and what his motives were. But by then there was too little time and everyone was already leaving for the trip by then. I did that very research here, in this exact hollow, by the way."

Aedan nodded, this part did seem to make sense to him, explaining why she wasn't among them at the start of their trip to Ambala.

"Of course, as your report accurately describes, I confronted 'Gowyr', demanding to figure out what was in the satchel. He of course refused, and to that, there was really nothing I could besides assume the worst. And then . . . the ambush happened."

She sighed, before turning back around fully towards Aedan, "I may not seem fully trustworthy to you Aedan, but that experience would leave a scar in the rest of my life. I had no capacity to help you or the others, so I did what anyone would do: fly as far and as fast away as possible."

"And you got out without anyone following you?" Aedan asked skeptically.

"I was careful in my window of opportunity, once everyone started to panic and all the bad owls were distracted, I made a break for it. Despite the headwind, it played in my favor as they were suspecting me to be an easy catch and instead went after you and- hmm . . . what did you refer to him by? As yes, Favian, you and Favian."

Aedan, then realizing she as well also was apart of the ambush and seemed to have a good eye for what had happened, asked.

"By the way, did you happen to see Gowyr? Nobody can seem to answer this question."

She looked down at her papers, "I can't confirm or deny I did, but . . . I did see a Barn owl flying low within the ravines, and from the looks of it, going north, but there's no telling where that all ends up."

"Gowyr." Aedan whispered quietly to himself, had he actually made it after all? But if that was him, where would he be now? This new piece of information was giving hope to Aedan, regardless of the uncertainty as to if it was him or not.

"Must I explain what happened afterwards?" Vara asked, but Aedan decided that was enough of an explanation. So he shook his head in reply,

"Good," Vara returned to the piece of paper she was writing on and grabbed the quill, "now, can we get to what I wanted to ask you tonight?"

Aedan agreed with a simple nod.

"Wonderful. So, we took up more time than I expected, and I want to make this quick — I hope in the future we can continue these discussions so we can get a better understanding of the situation."

In the future? There was no telling if Aedan would be able to get away with another trip like this, especially without raising suspicion to Jedrek or everyone else in his unit. Regardless, he continued to listen.

"First, for now we can set aside our disagreements on the perspective before the incident, but right now, I have to take your word for everything that happened after it. And this should even be more crucial to you."

"Of course," Aedan remarked, "it's been five moons and no action, I would like for someone to actually take it seriously."

"Oh you'd be surprised," Vara replied, with a genuine grin, "not everything may be as it seems, but that's exactly the problem, the reason why it doesn't seem like anything big is because everyone is on their guard right now, not wanting to jump to conclusions to quick to start up a war beyond proportions we've ever seen before. And let me tell you Aedan . . . this is merely the calm before the storm."

Aedan was silent, were they really that close to a full-scale war? Between who? The Ambalians? What about the Guardians? All these questions quickly flooded Aedan's mind.

"You said in your report that your group and escorts encountered an all-Tyto formation in The Barrens, correct?"

"Yes, a quite intimidating one at that."

"You also said that while on the ground you heard them make mention to the term: 'Bashers'?"

"Yes, that was how one of them referred to themselves with their comrade, is there a meaning behind it?"

Vara gazed down at her papers, "Not that I'm aware of, I'm sure there's nothing-"

The look Aedan gave caused Vara to reconsider what she had said, she retracted her previous statement and started anew.

"If what you said is true, then they are referring to the formal _2nd Special Airborne Battalion_ , otherwise known as the _Queen's Guard_ , or more informally as the 'Bashers'. They were one of the first units to be created for the Kingdom of Tyto, assigned with two task: to protect Queen Sebastiana, or 'Bash' as she is known informally by other members of her family. Their other objective was to be superior to all other forces of both their kingdom, and any other kingdom. To accomplish that, they received Guardian training, Kingdom of Tyto's military training, and other specialty areas no one else received training in."

"So what came about of them then?" Aedan asked, somewhat fretful.

Vara sighed, "At one point, they defected and were never heard from again. But if your report holds true, then we could have a serious problem on our wings."

Aedan widened his eyes, "So you're saying that either this unit could be working independently or . . ." he paused, "they could be doing the Kingdom of Tyto's bidding."

Vara shook her head, "Jumping to conclusions again, you know full well that the Kingdom of Tyto is not responsible for this."

Aedan began to recall something, "If that is true, then why did one of them mention that they were trying to stop a war from being started? Wouldn't it make sense if they tried to silence me and the group so they could prevent the continent from learning about all of this?"

Vara stayed silent, before responding with the same point again, "You can't create these conspiracy theories every time you learn something new. While I may not know why they said that, all I do know is that everyone is going to be at each other's throats."

Aedan cocked his head to the side, "How so?"

"Simple, Silverveil doesn't trust Ambala and believes they are responsible for giving the hireclaws weapons, they believe the information you gave about the owlnapping to justify this. Ambala doesn't trust Tyto based on the information you gave about the unit you encountered, and believes the Kingdom of Tyto is behind all of this and is starting to create tensions."

She looked at Aedan compassionately.

"Aedan, bless your gizzard, but I think your group's warning to the owl kingdoms was premeditated."

Aedan took a step back, "Premeditated? You mean, the bad guys may've wanted us to warn the outside world?"

Vara wrote something down again, before responding, "Not the bad guys you're necessarily thinking about. But, this is all just speculation."

She looked up at him, "Any information you've attained in your time in the Ambalian army may prove to be helpful, consider it like that question game we were playing on our trip with the group, you get one question, I get one question."

Aedan clicked his beak, was it wise to start talking about military matters to her? After all, what business did she have knowing about what the Ambalians were up to? But, perhaps she had the answer for everything going on at the moment.

"A good poriton of my squadron is doing combat sorties towards The Barrens, I don't know if they are heading up to Silverveil, but they did attack something a couple nights ago. Jedrek, my commander, hasn't told me what they were up to. He said after that night sortie, they just killed some crows that were threatening them."

Vara had a good laugh, "Crows, mobbing them, during nighttime?" She laughed again.

Aedan wilfed slightly, embarrassed by the fact he didn't catch on to that. Vara would go on to reassure him.

"It's quite alright, just realize that something may be going on that you may not have yet noticed."

Aedan seemed discouraged by this, "Do you think the Ambalians are attacking the Silverveilians now?"

"I'm not going to jump to conclusions, but," she smiled, "I have faith that the Ambalians and Silverveilians are trying to do the right thing."

Her smile quickly disappeared as she brought up one last thing, "Just be ready for anything, I'm sure some warning signs will become apparent."

"How do you know?" Aedan asked.

"Something no one is expecting is always bound to happen-." She paused, before saying finally.

"Now seems to be that time."

* * *

Aedan's return was unremarkable, but he had learned quite a lot from the conversation he had with Vara, or the Vara he once knew. While she does seem to be off on her assessments about him, she did provide some interesting information that he had yet to consider. Such as the identity of the unit they had encountered over The Barrens. So while Aedan didn't fully take Vara's word for everything, she was still a worthwhile asset. They had agreed by the end of it to remain in contact and perhaps to engage in more talks in the near future.

Most of the points made during the conversation seemed to have disappeared from Aedan's concerns, he was satisfied with what he had learned, but still wasn't any closer to solving the case.

But a howling screech brought him out of this placid state.

Looking out of the hollow, one soldier of their unit was badly wounded on the left wing, with two bolts sticking out of it. Before he could reach the tree, he lost control and crashed into the ground below, dead on impact from the looks of it. Several additional members of the unit were also nowhere to be seen.

The tone of the unit was not filled with the usual excitement or glee, but not silence, awful silence. With four owls gone from the twelve, that meant effectively a third of them were missing, something bad must've happened.

 _I highly doubt attacking crows would yield this many losses._ Aedan remarked sarcastically to himself. It was almost ironic how Vara had stated that there would be some warning signs, it seemed to be coming frighteningly true. Then Aedan noticed Jedrek landing on a branch beside him. Jedrek said slowly.

"Aedan, I think we need to talk."


	11. The First Casualty of War is--

**A/N: Treat this as my recompense for my awful month-long delay from before. I thank those of you that have kept up so far, and I wish to do everything in my power to repay you all for your attention and generosity. Aside from that, I think making mention of some trivial stuff wouldn't do too much, eh? So, if you just want to dive into the story, you can. Anyways, one thing I always wanted to do was a massive project involving the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series and recreating it in such a way where it describes the events from the Others, to the evolution of owls, the history not filled in-between in the present series, and even into where the actual series starts off with some changes that I (or others) find fitting. It was an idea suggested by Larc Rivereagle, who in turn has got the idea from a certain Mass Effect author who did a complete re-canonization of the series. Just an idea to throw out there, I highly doubt it could be done on my own, so I would need the assistance of at least several others for the project. As I said, we all know how likely that is to happen. Well, that's all I wanted to mention really, if anything changes I'll let you all know! Hope to hear from you guys soon! Enjoy!**

* * *

" _There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others."_

~ Niccolo Machiavelli

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

 _The First Casualty of War is . . ._

As night slowly proceeded into day, the whole forest seemed to be awfully silent. Those stationed at Pelli's Hilltop weren't made soundless by the grace of sleep, but rather of personal grief; the loss of several of their comrades during a time in which the whole world was suppose to be at peace was mind-numbingly miserable. To these owls, taking a life from someone isn't as painful as seeing someone else lose theirs, it was just a rule of nature for them and perhaps for other soldiers in Ambala. It would be a long, sleepless day for all of them, even for those who weren't even there.

The sudden burst of wind and the change in air pressure gave the indication of impending rainstorm, even an owl who wasn't an expert of weather interpretation could realize that. Early morning showers, quite suiting for the current predicament they were in. It wasn't like they could just sleep through it either.

Aedan up to this point has transferred himself over to Jedrek's personal hollow, and if the conditions are as to be expected, he would be stuck there for quite awhile until the weather cleared up. All the better for him, however, as there was much to be questioned out of Jedrek and this time he will have nowhere else to go.

Aedan's intentions were to hopefully finally find out what Jedrek's unit was up to, whether they were in Silverveil or not, and perhaps finally uncover any particular details about the enemy he wasn't already made aware of.

This was all to happen once Jedrek had finished his condolences letters to the loved ones of the squadron members who were lost during the latest sortie. For an owl who has seemingly lived through it all, the letters were not easy for Jedrek to write, nor was the circumstances of their untimely death any better. Jedrek himself knew how serious the coming repercussions were to become, as with the file he reported to his superiors. Aedan could almost sense his apprehension, it was spreading to him like a wild contagion — that feeling of utter devastation.

Still, Aedan bided his time, knowing that rushing his superior would only get him reprimanded and perhaps may cost him the opportunity. Besides, Aedan didn't want to get on Jedrek's bad side, especially if all of a sudden he started looking into what Aedan had been doing the hours before.

While he did have that time off earlier during the night, it was all just an alibi in reality; he had no intention to go to aunt and uncle during that break. Instead, he got into contact with the individual who had sent him a coded message, Vara. The circumstances for why they met was just mostly a rehash of information the two of them were already aware of. For what reason Vara had to make it coded still worried Aedan, forcing him to consider the possibility that their meetings was, perhaps, dangerous to something or someone if discovered. While Vara made no mentioning of this, Aedan certainly got the impression that this was indeed the case.

As such, Aedan would never reveal his contact or dealings to Jedrek or anyone else unless something changes. Aedan couldn't help but feel this is borderline espionage from the eyes of outside entities, but to the very least he can at least pretend he is engaging in no such activities.

. . . Now if Vara happened to actually be some kind of slipgizzle — something Aedan had already long considered — there's little he can do to counteract the damage already done, and would only just have to resume as planned. Thankfully, the likelihood of her being such a threat was extremely low, as what information could she possibly gather from him that could be used by an enemy power?

Unless, of course, she was trying to spread misinformation, which was indeed possible. She had tried to convince him that his perspective of the events up to the point of ambush was wrong, and the fact she didn't tell him to not inform others of this error only leads him to believe that maybe she wants him to say he is wrong about all of this. What could happen from there could only really be guessed by Glaux himself.

Aedan was surprised he could possibly imagine such a sudden and ill-fated twist of outcomes. Regardless, he concluded, even if she was a slipgizzle he would still benefit greatly from the information he would acquire, so long as she provided it. His concerns for finding out who had attacked them far outweighed the necessity to protect Ambala, even if that meant he had to do shady business with someone who he perceive to be his friend, but in reality would turn out to be the enemy.

Jedrek seemed to have finished the final writings of his letters, and turned to Aedan. His eyes casted a low-hanging look of somber, the once proud attitude he once had shifted over to something more reserved, more pessimistic. All the while hiding his true feelings and emotions to Aedan or anyone else that may appear in the hollow, he may even be hiding those emotions from himself, all for the sake of something Aedan just couldn't understand . . . setting an example, perhaps?

"Thank you for your patience, lad. I never thought I would see the day when I had to write four letters while in peacetime." Jedrek carefully grabbed the personally crafted messages and organized them away under his nest, where it'll lie in wait until a messenger gets around to take them.

"So you say," Aedan remarked, "but taking losses while in one of the most distinguished units of the Ambalian military tells both you and me something; and, let's be clear, if it were crows that managed to do that, then just about anyone could."

Jedrek took a deep breath in, he knew there was no dancing around the question. "Of course it wasn't crows, you're smart enough to realize that now, but isn't exactly what you're thinking either."

Aedan stood tall, appearing confident in his preset conclusions. "Then prove me wrong, you seem to know the situation far better than I do."

Jedrek growled, "For you to be so smug about what has happened is just insulting to those who have died! But . . . what can I do? You always seem so out of touch with everything, more so than you used to be."

Aedan returned to his normal posture, "My behavior is of no consequence, I'm still waiting for a true answer."

Jedrek sighed, seemingly defeated. "The contacts that engaged us were of unknown origin, no markings, no visible distinguishing qualities, but were equipped with modern weaponry. — namely, repeating crossbows."

Aedan thought these qualities sounded familiar, so he asked. "Were they an all-Tyto unit like the one I encountered?"

Aedan was careful not to use the name Vara had used to describe them in fears of both giving the wrong conclusions to Jedrek and also raising questions as to how he knew about the unit. It wouldn't surprise Aedan if it were indeed those, "Bashers" he encountered, though, he didn't know if they really existed. After all, Vara could be giving out misinformation to traduce their existence as being directly linked to the Kingdom of Tyto. All that was really known was that they were all-Tyto formation, and he would leave it at that.

Jedrek shook his head. "They were not the unit you encountered, as they were a mixed-species unit."

"How large were they? And how did they manage to catch you by surprise?"

Jedrek closed his eyes briefly before opening them up again, "A mere four owls got away with that attack, and they couldn't have been Silverveilian-"

"Aha!" Aedan yelled, this comment affirmed his theory, "so you were attacking Silverveilian troops! Why!?"

Jedrek glared at him, irritated by the biased prejudice his pupil had for him. "Take care to how you speak, young one. As I said before, it isn't exactly how you imagine it."

Aedan wanted to start retorting, but couldn't. He realized he was wrong in his claims the moment he had said it, and Jedrek was about to prove why.

"What I'm about to say is off the books and you can't make mention to any of it to anyone, if you do, the Ambalians will have both of our heads, got it?"

Aedan nodded, though, a part of him knew full well that that there may be someone he might consider sharing this information to.

"Ever since you've gave your report, we've, the Ambalians, have been somewhat out of touch with the Silverveilians. They hadn't sent any additional messengers and all contact with the kingdom had been silenced at the time. That changed about a moon after you gave your report when we got an anonymous source from Silverveilian officials pleading for help against a previously unknown threat."

"And how does the source exactly describe this threat they were presently engaging with?" Aedan asked, somewhat nervously.

"'Silverveilian insurrectionist'. So, in other words, themselves."

There was chilling silence in the hollow. The Siverveilians are rebelling against their kingdom? Why? Aedan couldn't comprehend why any owl would want to destroy the very kingdoms that keep them safe.

Jedrek started pacing around his hollow, his narrative came along with him.

"So let me fill in the holes for you from what we've gathered over the last few moons. You and your group, along with the Silverveilian escorts, get ambushed on your way to Ambala. You all vanish without a clue. Silverveil thus could only assume it had something to do with Ambala. Regardless, they started probing more into areas such as the Spirit Woods and Shadow Forest, but in doing so nearly a dozen units of varying sizes went missing, those that did make it back didn't see anything significant or unusual."

Jedrek turned back around towards Aedan. "Then all of a sudden, it happened: Silverveilians started to fight Silverveilians, comrade against comrade — brother against brother. Then you add hireclaws, both the ones hired by the Silverveilians that joined the rebels and the ones the Silverveilians were already fighting against to begin with into the equation, then you got yourself a pretty formidable enemy."

Aedan wavered his head around in confusion. "Wait, so exactly how many soldiers do the rebels have?"

"At least one full division and several smaller specialized squadrons, this is excluding the hireclaw count which may well bring the rebel forces close to several full divisions. Aside from those estimates, we don't know."

"So what were you doing during all of this?" Aedan asked, hoping to finally get the context he had been waiting for.

"While our monarchy isn't exactly supporting our efforts, they had given us the go-ahead to do black operations in The Barrens, engaging rebel forces that attempt to elude the loyalist forces by entering that neutral piece of territory. The lines aren't clear cut, but known hotspots for rebels seems to be on the outer borders of Silverveil, hence why they couldn't contact us early on."

Jedrek went on. "We weren't the only ones involved, several other Ambalian hunter units got some action at various parts of The Barrens. What we would do, however, is quite clever. You see, the rebels would send a small unit of three owls with just battleclaws to see if The Barrens is a good alternative flanking route. So we would happen to come along and destroy these units completely so they couldn't say Ambalians were involved in the conflict or confirm that flank was entirely open for them to exploit. At times they would bring along scouts slightly behind the small unit so they could get the information fully, but we'd catch them just as easily. So in doing so, we'd denied the rebels access to The Barrens and also concealed our presence in the conflict."

Jedrek burrowed his beak into his breast feathers before continuing. "This all changed tonight. It was a normal sortie, we did our standard three-layered formation, with four owls below engaging the enemy, four above them, covering them, and the last four observing from an even higher altitude to see if there would be any additional contacts that may engage us. After the initial mission, the enemy attacked our highest group, managing to catch them by surprise and hitting all of them on the first dive. It was a hit and run attack, so they escaped immediately after the ambush. Two of our owls died instantly, the other two badly wounded, one of them died from blood loss before getting back to our base, the other lost control when landing and died from the fall."

Jedrek sighed. "The true issue isn't necessarily the fact they clearly weren't rebels, the real problem that concerns me is the fact they were well aware of our tactics even before engaging us. Only other Ambalian units actually know of our three-layered flight pattern, and this is where things get complicated . . ." Jedrek paused.

Aedan took a moment to think about what he had just said, before his eyes widened. "You mean, they could be Ambalians fighting against the Silverveilians!?"

Jedrek didn't say anything for a moment, before carefully wording his response. "To the very least, these owls are aware of our tactics, which could mean that best case scenario the Silverveilian forces that are loyal to the government think that these rebels are Ambalian-trained. Worse case scenario is, these are indeed Ambalian troops fighting against both us and the Silverveilians."

Jedrek seemed to swell to twice his size and started ranting. "But this isn't like us! Our kingdom would never be stupid enough to support both sides of a conflict! Aedan, whoever these owls are, they _want_ to confuse us and make us distrust each other, and I've only ever been in one other conflict like this, but I can tell you right now that the those "rebel" Silverveilians are not the only belligerent engaging in this little proxy war."

Aedan seemed all the more curious, "'Other conflict'? You mean, there's been another war like this? And where are the Guardians during all of this!? Why isn't this the talk of the whole Southern Kingdoms!?"

Jedrek churred, it was a rattling sound for Aedan's ear silts to listen to, it sounded more ironic than anything.

"All three questions are seemingly intertwined with each other. The only other conflict that was like this was the Tytonidae Insurrection that occurred a couple years ago when I was about your age and just joined the Ambalian military. By the time I even knew it was happening, it was a mop-up operation in reality. Aside from that, I can't tell you much besides that it just happened — probably some Tytos in Tyto Forest just didn't like the idea of being ruled by a king and Ga'Hoolian queen, perhaps it's the same reason why the Silverveilians are revolting. Who knows? Maybe we're next."

"Hmm, so there has been fighting since The War of the Ember after all." Aedan realized, it was the first he had ever heard of this short conflict.

"Anyways, your question about why the Guardians are not getting involved fits in perfectly with what I just mentioned. The last time they got involved in dealing with insurrections, it only made things worse. Guardians owls suppressing dissidents from a completely different kingdom, it doesn't seem to fit their oath now does it? Besides, they themselves probably don't like fooling around with that kind of business anyhow, they're too high and mighty to help maintain order in the kingdoms, so they let us do their dirty work."

Jedrek sighed, "And that brings me to the final point, why I couldn't tell you about this and why the Southern Kingdoms must not know. Think about it, Aedan. Most owls think that the world is at peace and that there's nothing to threaten them or any reason to fight against each other. So what good does it do to tell everyone we are fighting against rebel Silverveilians in Silverveil and for what? To maintain their sovereignty and regional power? I think some higher-ups would much rather see Silverveil burn before committing their fellow Ambalians into the fray."

Jedrek drew close to Aedan's ear silt and whispered, "And do you really want to inspire insurrections here too?"

The thought of fighting against his own comrades terrified Aedan, it was chilling to think about how complicated this kind of affair was, along with the motives behind why to hide it. But deep down, despite the reasoning, it angered him greatly as well. He had already read the first two Soren-based legends by now and quickly noticed the similarities they were experiencing.

"So, you caught yourself in quite a situation now that you kept this a secret for so long, and look how far that got you." Aedan mused, "I'm sure the enemy is quite grateful for your services in concealing their true nature."

Jedrek neared awfully close to Aedan and shouted, "You still patronizing me about difficult choices we all had to make and yet you still refuse to tell me the truth about your background!"

Aedan seemed shaken by the comment, he didn't know why, but it tore at him greatly. Jedrek scratched near his eye his talons before apologizing dearly.

"Look, I'm sorry about what I said, but this isn't something for just you and me to decide. Both us: the Ambalians, and the Silverveilians got overly confident that this was just another short-term rebellion that would be dealt with quickly in time. We took it for granted, figuring it'd be smarter not to get everyone riled up by it, but we were obviously mistaken as tonight has shown us."

Jedrek walked over to his nest and laid down in it, stretching his wings greatly while doing so. "The enemy completely outplayed us, both militarily and politically — I already know, as all Ambalians units taking part in counterinsurgency operations are going to be grounded until further notice."

Aedan slowly shook his head, not believing what he had just said. At least with what they were doing before they were making a difference, but now they were going to coward out?

"This is something beyond my control, the enemy . . . whoever they truly are . . . I don't think any of this is coincidental, and from the look on your face, neither do you."

"After doing the right thing for over four moons, the Ambalians are just going to give up on helping the Silverveilians over a few combat losses?"

Jedrek grabbed for the letter under his nest and pulled it out. "Here, I'll let you try explaining what came about of our comrades to their loved ones. You really think we can just write down that they died from a nameless enemy? How about Silverveilian, what do you think will happen if I said a Silverveilian killed their loved one in battle? And, you can talk all you want about how this is for the "better good" of the world to be helping not our own comrades, but the Silverveilians, but that ain't going to cut it and you know it."

Aedan was speechless. Jedrek was right, there really was no easy way to tell their relatives without spurring up outrage or some other kind of reaction. One thing became abundantly clear: the Ambalians did not want to get involved in a fight that does not affect them or don't even understand. That included the Guardians and the other kingdoms.

"Trust me Aedan," Jedrek reminded, "I don't like it any more than you do, but as I said: things are complicated. And from here on I think things are going to only get worse."

Aedan looked at him, unsure. "Is there anything we can?"

Jedrek rested his head down and closed his eyes, there had yet to be any rain as it seems the storm had missed them entirely.

"There's only one thing we can do, wait patiently and be ready for anything."

* * *

Several nights had passed, and as predicted by Jedrek, all Ambalian units operating in The Barrens were ordered to stand down. The only operation that did occur was for the retrieval of the bodies and equipment of those lost during the encounter. An brief inquiry, debate, and resolution was passed all at once to determine the current status of the Ambalian role during this time of crises. All of this was done in secrecy outside of the public eye of both Ambala's citizens, and foreign entities.

On the bright side, the Ambalian parliament made clear to Jedrek, thus in that same regard, to Aedan, that it's intentions were to maintain regional stability and ensure the continued sovereignty of its neighbor, the Kingdom of Silverveil. While a fine revelation in wording, it hardly meant anything in actuality. As confirmed by the Ambalians decision and reasoning on the matter, which considered the use of military forces to assist Silverveil during the time of rebellion to be counterintuitive, as the basis for that reasoning revolved around the fear that Ambalian intervention would only further legitimize the rebels cause and allow them to get more members and support, as it demonstrates the Silverveilian government is reliant on outside forces for survival.

Aside from that, no further information as to how the conflict was going came to Ambala. This could be seen as a good or bad thing; it's good if that means there is no serious problems to report in on the Silverveilian war effort, bad if one considers the possibility they are cut off or being overran by a sudden increase in enemy capabilities. Regardless, even if things were going bad, there was nothing the Ambalians could do at the moment.

For Aedan's unit, the 6th Evergreen Squadron, they've been reorganizing after the loss of nearly a fourth of their squadron — which was also considered a third of the squadron's actual combat capable owls. Due to the fact most Ambalians don't know about the rising threat in Silverveil and the lack of volunteers, replacements for their losses were unlikely any time soon. It was hoped that Damien group, once done with training, would fill in the gap left behind.

But none of that could come sooner, they had training hard the past few nights, all under the direct orders from Jedrek. They were close to completing the final lessons, particularly in actual combat practice and seasoning. Aedan, along with the rest of them, were not as eager as they once were to be combat ready. Even if they weren't likely to be deployed anytime soon, the loss of fours owls in their unit was a blow to their previous confidence. This was a good thing, Aedan supposed, as it meant at least now they realized just how quickly their lives could be taken if they weren't prepared for actual combat.

Returning from a training sortie with Damien and Geshron, Aedan was quickly brought aside by Jedrek. Something concerning him had come up.

"Sortie request, escort mission, rendezvous location two leagues north of Gateway to Hoole — which is roughly over the end of the inlet to the Sea of Hoolemere; be there no later than sundown, tomorrow." Jedrek's scripted briefing was far too normal than usual, why was he telling him all of this in person?

"Alright sir," Aedan groaned, "I got it, we'll be helping someone get to the Gateway to Hoole, perfect."

Jedrek blinked, "We?"

Aedan cocked his head to the side, he looked at him funny. "Wait, you're saying _I'm_ doing this sortie- alone!? This has to be a mistake."

Jedrek gave Aedan the sortie details listed on the paper. "I thought so too, but I was proven wrong. These aren't some owlets trying to cross the pond, they're high value individuals, and it wasn't the Ambalian High Command that issued this sortie request either. It seems the Guardians wanted to make it explicitly clear they only wanted you for this sortie, your name is literally mentioned several times in the order, whatever they need you for . . . it's urgent."

Aedan shook his head before setting down the paper. "But why me? I'm not even done with my training yet, and they want me to fly escort for some very important individuals of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole?"

Jedrek shrugged his wings, "Beats me, but regardless you'll be representing all of us, so it's best you look sharp before you go. Also, it is imperative you remember this, but when you come into contact with the Guardians, they'll ask you: 'What is the first casualty of war?', you are to respond with the word, 'truth'. If you don't remember that simple word, then glaux help you, because even I don't know what they'll do."

Aedan gulped before repeating the word, "Truth. The first casualty of war, is truth."

Jedrek smiled, "You got it, just remember that and you'll be fine."

"What do you think about all of this?" Aedan asked, somewhat worriedly.

Jedrek's smile dissipated, "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, I think it's best you don't overthink it, just do as you're told, and it'll be an easy mission. A good first one too, I'm sure some will be jealous once they learn you had the honor of escorting a Guardian of Ga'Hoole."

Judging by the way Jedrek mentioned _once_ they learn about the sortie, it seems implied that until it happens, it should remain a undisclosed for the time being. Which is understandable, considering the nature of the mission.

Aedan, who was still carrying his crossbow and battleclaws, finally started to take everything off carefully and neatly. While doing so, he asked a simple question to Jedrek.

"Why do you think they used the phrase, 'the first casualty of war'?"

Jedrek looked down in deep thought, before giving his best response, "I'm sure it has something to do with the fighting, but it could also be a jab at another conflict that had occurred before."

Aedan chimed in, "Like the Tyto insurrection?"

Jedrek nodded, "Yes, but that isn't the only conflict the Guardians have been in since The War of the Ember."

"Oh, so who else have they fought against?" Aedan asked, curiously.

"Tell me, how much do you know about the Northern Kingdoms?" Jedrek asked, seemingly setting the stage for the next response.

"Not a lot," Aedan admitted, "but I do know it's very cold up there."

Jedrek smiled, "You aren't wrong, but the only other conflict I'm aware about that isn't just a small random skirmish was a relatively short conflict between the Guardians and the Northern Kingdoms. Supposedly, the battles that occurred up there were one of the main reasons why the Guardians began pressing the repeating crossbow to service. I know this, because the Guardians encountered the Glauxspeed Division — a former allied unit during the earlier conflicts against the Pure Ones, the Glauxspeed operated ice shard launchers and used snakes to boost their lift capabilities, the Guardians tried to match this but had little leeway- at least, from what I know."

"So who won in that fight?"

Jedrek seemed unsure, "Well, judging by the fact you haven't heard about it, and the Guardians have never made mention to it, I think the answer is obvious."

"But isn't history determined by the victor?" Aedan remarked, somewhat sarcastically.

Jedrek churred half-heartedly, "Well, no one really won if you want my truthful opinion, it's not like the Great Tree is under the rule of some overlords from the Northern Kingdom either."

"True." Aedan took a moment to think about it further, before asking. "So, how do you know all of this if it is never mentioned by anyone?"

Jedrek gave him a smile, "I'm sure you'll like to know this, but I can tell you that your father told me everything I just told you, and I can give you three guesses as to where he was actually born, and who he was fighting for."

Aedan gave a sidelong glance, this was the first time Jedrek actually provided some detail about his father. Though, something didn't add up from the last time Jedrek told him about his father.

"I thought you said he was with you at the Gateway to Hoole?"

Jedrek nodded, "He was."

Before Aedan could ask any further, a messenger flew into the hollow, the atmosphere the flyer brought with him was grim.

The messenger whispered something into Jedrek's ear silt. Upon hearing what he had to say, Jedrek turned to Aedan and said.

"Excuse me, but this is rather urgent- no questions!"

With that, Aedan flew out of the hollow, worried about what news the messenger brought along with him. But Aedan also knew that he had to be completely ready for the sortie by the end of the night, as he would have to get up early if he wished to get to the area he was instructed to locate by the assigned time and date. And most importantly, to remember that phrase he was instructed to say when asked.

It was at this point, Aedan started to wonder if Vara has anything to do with the usual sortie request . . .

* * *

 **Fun Trivial Fact: This is something I may do just on occasion, but I've come to notice that not a lot of people actually know these kind of things about the actual (canonical) series, so, maybe, I think this may be worth a shot. Let's start with something related to names (shame I didn't do this in my previous chapter, as it was mentioned that all of the names Aedan used to describe his friends were just aliases.)**

 **Did you know, that Twilight's actual name is Cassius? Odd, right? You never see this name used to describe "Twilight" as we know him in the book series, and not one story on this site has bothered to use it, but this is his actual given name. The name Cassius is Latin in origin (because yes, you can Latin names in Ga'Hoole and not destroy immersion), and the meaning of the name is: narcissistic, vain, and empty. Quite a fitting name for him, eh? Though, I don't know if anyone would think of Twilight the same if everyone started calling him Cassius. (Sounds like a character name I would use).**

 **Source:**

 **(In case you don't believe me)**

 **-** _Guardians of Ga'Hoole: A Guidebook_

 _\- The Guardians of Ga'Hoole wiki page_

 _ _\- My own memory? (Not a source? Aww...)__


	12. A Wild Rose from the Sea of Hoolemere

**A/N: Another chapter, added with a bonus rather than a trivial fact. Bonuses are directly related to the story, but from a different perspective. You won't miss out on much if you don't read them, but I'm sure to some it would be interesting, especially as time goes on. On another note, I've decided to start to reread the series again and have began doing preliminary observations into how difficult it would be to do the project I mentioned last chapter. I'll keep you all informed if anything changes, as I always do.**

* * *

" _Legend: A lie that has attained the dignity of age."_

~ H. L. Mencken

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve**

 _A Wild Rose from the Sea of Hoolemere_

Aedan watched as the sun descended towards the horizon with tranquil inquisitiveness. Just the way the sky lightened up during this time, it always grabbed at his situational awareness even when it wasn't wise to do so. For a moment, Aedan would observe the sky was a particular shade of blue, but now to Aedan's ever wondering interest, it was a dark violet hue with a wide spectrum of colors closer and closer to where the sun was setting. _Why does it do this?_ Aedan would wonder, he knew that it had something to do with the lighting coming from the sun, but why would it change to different colors other than simply blue or black? Why did the sky turn orange, red, or even pink at only this point of day? Was Glaux trying to tell them something? Had he been trying to do so all along?

Aedan shook his head in dismay. There was no such thing as Glaux, or some supernatural creature looking over them. There had to be a clearer answer than just assuming everything is the mysterious doings of Glaux himself.

 _Perhaps, The Others would've known the true answer behind this._ Aedan reasoned silently to himself, taking some brief satisfaction in remarking the species again.

It had been a long while since he had thought about them. This impediment was partly Jedrek's blame, as every time Aedan had tried to bring up the matter of interest Jedrek would have none of it, calling his interest an: 'inexplicable desire for a failed, obsolete species.'

Aedan completely disagreed with these unfair resolutions, sometimes to go forward, one must look backwards in time for innovation. No matter how committed Jedrek wanted him to set aside such yearnings, Aedan could only ask for more. It was no secret that The Others harbored many secrets of their own, but surely they would've left some for owlkind to explore? The owls of S'yrthghar would've taken advantage of such gifts by now, wouldn't they? Why was talking about Others so taboo and unwelcoming? Perhaps the real question is: is it truly The Others hiding their secrets, or owlkind itself?

Aedan had to set aside these thoughts for now, as his true mission was about to begin. He had a very narrow window of opportunity, so he had to be sure that his arrival would be just on time.

Being his first mission, Aedan was already stressed with the duty he was assigned, and he hadn't even gotten to his objective yet. The only relieving factor is based off what some of his chawmates had mentioned before amongst themselves. Escort sorties are normally very long and uninteresting, once one got to their assigned position most of the time they would daze out for the latter half of the trip. So boring, in fact, Damien had claimed that in one escort sortie, he had almost fell asleep in-flight, the only thing keeping him from doing so was a good nag or two from his superior, who was unsurprisingly Jedrek himself.

Still, Aedan knew he couldn't simply assume that this was how the flight would go down. For the Guardians, and not just any Guardians, for the _Guardians of Ga'Hoole_ to make such a request from an Ambalian base all the way in the north-western portion of Ambala, there had to be an explanation beyond his comprehension. It wasn't like they would be in need of soldiers, the Guardians themselves had one of the strongest and most advanced armies in all of the kingdoms, Besides, what threat would require the need for escorts? The mysterious owls all the way over at the Canyonlands? The civil war deep inside of Silverveil? The random crow during early nighttime?

"Oh Glaux, why can't I just get all the answers for once?" Aedan muttered to himself depressingly.

It seemed to all come around full circle, the moment he figures out one thing, two more questions pop right up just for him. This was evident now, as not only did he not know what was going on, many new questions have popped up about what Jedrek had said about his father.

Apparently, Aedan's father was from somewhere in the Northern Kingdoms, and has fought the Guardians of Ga'Hoole sometime before he arrived in the Southern Kingdoms. While this did give Aedan some more information about his father, he still was vastly unaware about everything else. In fact, all this does is make him more needy for answers.

It almost seems like from birth to now Aedan's only purpose in life was to be confused and full of curiosity. But could anyone really blame him?

Aedan sighed, before taking note to his surroundings. He was crossing over the last bit of Ambalian territory and into the inlet. Perfect, just as planned. Now all he had to do was find the Guardians he was supposed to rendezvous with.

That next objective of Aedan's seemed to turn up all at once, as proven by the voice that came from slightly behind him.

"Sir, what's the first casualty of war?"

Aedan's wings began to lock up, he didn't know why, but the voice just caught him completely off-guard. This was magnified when Aedan looked to whoever had spoken to him, two owls, a Masked and Barred owl, flew alongside his port and starboard wing respectfully. They both wore gleaming helmets modified with what Aedan could only guess to be a kind of airfoil attached to both sides of it. Beyond that, the two Guardians were armed with both their traditional battleclaws and equipped with the modern repeating crossbow. It was an intimidating sight most certainly, but Aedan couldn't control himself, he almost went completely yeep before the other Barred owl called out to him.

"Sir, are you alright?" He asked. The two, despite of their duties, were not hesitant to show their concern.

Aedan got a grip over himself. "I'm alright, sorry about that. Well, um, the first casualty of war is, uh . . . truth! Yes, truth."

The two Guardians glanced over at each other, unsure of Aedan's credibility, before the Masked owl replied instructively. "Alright sir, you're right on time, we'll guide you to where you need to be."

Aedan nodded, "Thanks, it's a pleasure meeting you."

The two Guardians returned a nod, "The pleasure is all ours."

* * *

Real Guardians in front of him!? What a time to be alive! Aedan just couldn't get over the fact that he had just seen one with his own eyes, they were every bit as he imagined them. Complimentary, formal, and polite. The stress that came along with the mission seemed to have competely vanished from Aedan's mind, all he could think now is what exactly he was going to see next.

The same Masked owl from before interjected his next set of instructions.

"Okay sir, your new assignment now is to stay on the Barn Owl's starboard wing."

The Masked Owl directed Aedan's attention over to a respectfully aged Barn Owl apparently talking with an accompanying Northern Pygmy Owl. Aedan got a good look at the two before heeding his attention to the Masked Owl again as it began to speak.

"You will do everything that she asks of you and you will ensure her safety until you are relieved by her, or another Guardian such as myself. Any questions?"

 _Plenty._ Aedan thought but knew couldn't ask. One thing that started to bug him was the absurd amount of female Barn Owls he came across, this one would be the third, only after Kolina and Vara. In terms of all the Barn Owls themselves, there was at least a half dozen he knew personally, he could almost name them all in one go. As for any other species, he could count each of them individually with his single claw.

As he neared closer and closer to the duo, they quickly took notice to him. Unlike the other Guardians, they lacked any weapons or armor, but were clearly well disciplined flyers. The Barn Owl's only distinguishing feature Aedan took notice to was a single speckle near her eye. Such speckles were typically found on the head feathers of a Barn Owl, but this was an odd exception.

The Northern Pygmy Owl that was with her then seemed to separate and generate some distance away from the Barn Owl. Aedan found this odd, but didn't take too much time to think about it. By the time this had happened, she was already smiling and quick to greet Aedan.

"Strix Aedan, the owl we've been hearing so much about! It's quite nice to finally meet you in person."

Her smile seemed to intensify upon saying that, it wasn't forced or misplaced, but rather genuine. Her soft, affable voice was hardly the voice he'd expect to hear from an owl of her age, it sounded more along the lines of something you'd expect from a maturing owl of younger age. Much like Vara, this owl clearly had read his report he had given to Jedrek, which Jedrek had given to the leaders of Ambala, which must have somewhere along the lines been given to the entire world for them to read.

Aedan tried responding as respectfully as possible. "Much the same to you, madam, and you are?"

She began to churr softly upon hearing the question, Aedan's gizzard churned roughly. "Oh the formalities, I can never get use to them. As for who I am, I'm quite surprised you haven't figured that out yet, but you certainly aren't the first one to don't know and I'm sure you won't be the last."

Aedan's attention quickly got diverted to movement towards their rear, the two Guardians that had guided him in where taking up position slightly behind him. His feathers began to stand up slightly, despite being in flight.

She took notice of this and reassured him. "Relax Aedan, you seem on edge. They're just some good-hearted Guardians willing to tag along with me to keep us safe. I'd offer you some bingle juice if I had some on me, but unfortunately my current duties take precedence over such luxuries." Aedan looked over to her, she had one of the most calming voices, it would make sense if the Guardians sent her out here just for her to talk to him.

"Oh, it's not that, I'm just not use to seeing their helmets like that is all." He lied, trying to avoid embarrassing himself.

"I see," she glanced back at the other escorts briefly before turning her attention back to him. "Most owls don't usually pay attention to things like helmets, but I suppose you being a soldier in the Ambalian Army makes that a topic that catches you curiosity."

"Yeah, I guess so." Aedan said blandly, going along with what she was assuming about him.

"If you're still curious about it, the helmets themselves are something we made quite recently, mostly out of necessity."

"Really?" Aedan was now quite interested. "What necessity was it exactly?"

She took a moment to think about it, before answering. "I'm not too sure if you know about this already, but we've been in several conflicts since the end of _The War of the Ember_ , one such conflict was a dispute between us and the Northern Kingdoms, and of course, when diplomacy failed, _certain_ members of parliament urged our king to dispatch a chaw of Guardians to resolve the situation."

"And then what happened?" Aedan asked, almost begging for the answer.

She looked away momentarily. "It was a telling defeat, it showed just how outclassed we were if the Guardians were to ever take on an equivalent sized-force from someone as notable as the Northern Kingdoms."

Aedan couldn't help himself, he had to learn more. "What would you say was the cause for the Guardians defeat?"

She squinted her eyes slightly, but this was not directed towards him. "Maneuverability, the owls our Guardians encountered were our former allies, the Kielian League's Glauxspeed Division. It was the first encounter with an adversary armed with ranged weapons, but their owls had the edge in terms of agility with the Kielian snakes riding on their backs. Along with several other factors, that was the primary reason why we lost. It was a defeat our king couldn't bear to take responsibility for, but he did, and he still lives with it ever since."

She paused before continuing. "Long story short, the helmets are designed to give us the maneuverability we desperately need against foes that we may come across in the future. It was a project our king personally supported, much like everything else we've done since his rise to the throne."

"Does that include this conversation we are having right now?" Aedan asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"When you put it that way, yes." She had her own hint of well-intended sassiness. Aedan kind of liked this, despite being what he would consider an ancient owl, she had the personality of a sociable youngling, while still maintaining the manners of an adult.

"So does that mean your king is aware of the situation I and the rest of my friends were in?" This time, Aedan's question was more direct and serious.

She cocked her head slowly to the side, "Indeed he does; though, it seems you are trying to get at something."

Aedan retorted, "It seems I am, and I think you know what I'm getting at as well."

She smiled once again, this time even more noticeably than before. "I came here for two specific reasons, youngling. The first one is to get to the Gateway to Hoole to convene with Queen Bell, who has also been greatly despaired by your group's tragic disappearance. The second goal is to hear from the sole survivor himself. In both cases, my job is to report back to my king once the task has been completed."

Aedan slowly began to realize what this was all about, and the opportunity started to present itself. "So if that is the case, how much influence do you think you have over your king?"

She paused, it took her several moments to reply. "Not nearly as much as you may think, but I'm sure he would listen to anything I would have to say about the matter."

Before Aedan could think of the next reply, she jumped ahead to the point they were both trying to get at. "Let's cut to the chase, we are both here to clarify the situation to each other, and I fully understand your case. I've been in your situation before, more than once, and once is too much for any owl to endure."

Her voice suddenly became heavy with sadness, the smile she once had quickly disappeared from her face. "It reminds me too much of what happened to my mate and hatchlings . . ." there was a long pause, she did not continue on with what she wanted to say.

Aedan, with great difficulty, asked. "What happened to them? Were they owlnapped like me?"

She closed her eyes. "They- they disappeared. I still don't know what happened to them to this day. All my older- . . . my king could say was that it was something beyond my control. But I have faith much like you do that they are alive and well, somewhere out there. I know it deep down in my gizzard, and you and me have much in common in that regard."

Aedan sighed, he couldn't imagine how it would feel to have gone through with what happened to her. But now, he knew what he was truly seeking to have answered.

"I'm sorry for your loss, but now I must ask you that knowing what I have suffered as well, why haven't the Guardians done anything about this? Why aren't the Guardians flying to the Canyonlands right now and destroying whatever group is out there owlnapping owls without retaliation?"

She regained her composure, but didn't return to her previously affable state. "It's complicated, you must understand that there is more for us to consider than to just go directly to war."

"Oh, is that so? Then enlighten me." Aedan was somewhat agitated, after all that talk, she was just going to tell him they couldn't do anything?

Her patience was well developed, a trait only through age one could acquire. "Our king has made it quite clear that intervening into another civil war — or even just having a large presence in the Southern Kingdoms would prove disastrous to everyone."

She began to explain, "I don't know if you can understand what is truly going in in the Southern Kingdoms, but our presence in the Kingdom of Tyto _was_ one of the main reasons for them to enter into a civil war those many years ago, and with that, dozens upon dozens of owls perished by our talons. Now consider what I had mentioned earlier about our conflict with the Northern Kingdoms, do you really think we are prepared for any kind of rebellion? Much less, a war? We don't even know who the enemy you describe is, what they want, and what capabilities they have. This is also ignoring the fact that one wrong move and we ignite a war the likes nobody has seen before. The Southern Kingdoms has never been so populated as it is now, there are nearly three times the number of owls as there were during The War of the Ember."

She shook her head, "I _want_ to help you any way I can Aedan, but our king has seen too much bloodshed both before and after since he had become king of Ga'Hoole, the last thing he wants to see happen is another war that will lead to hundreds, if not thousands, to be killed needlessly. Besides, it could be exactly what this enemy wants, for us to intervene and prove to the owl world that we go to war over a hunch. We may as well destroy the peace we've fought so hard to ensure."

Aedan just couldn't believe that there was nothing they could do, he felt so helpless and lost. It was just like in the legends, the Guardians didn't want to destroy an obvious threat where it stood. What kind of Guardians would just let the world burn just for the sake of maintaining their perceived peace?

"It was hard enough for our king to dispatch a Search-and-Rescue unit to Silverveil, to rescue Queen Blythe from the sudden chaos brought anew just last night. I'm sure our king and queen will be pleased of her return, however."

Aedan stared at her. "What's going on in Silverveil? I thought that the civil war was under their control?"

She seemed puzzled by his question, "Aren't you aware of what is happening in Silverveil?" He shook his head in reply. "Regardless, our chaw is doing the rescue operation covertly, and we can only stand back and watch for the time being."

Aedan was speechless, was this all they were going to do?

"There has to be a way to convince your king to reconsider, he knows that helping us is the right thing to do! Is there anything you can do?"

She sighed, "Again, there's very little chance I alone can convince him. But I'm sure Queen Bell will send some of her assets from the Gateway to Hoole to support the Ambalians if war were to ever break out. Aside from that, no one can convince the king otherwise."

"Then send me! There has to be a way to change his mind, there has to! Have him talk with me directly, I beg of you, he can't just do this to us!"

She could only look at him with pity, but she began to make promises. "I'll see to it that your voice is heard, but understand that may take quite awhile. I'm not even too sure if my king will have the time to spare, but I am absolutely certain he will do what he can. You have my word."

A voice sprung out to Aedan, it was a rather direct. "We've completed our trip safely, your escort has been greatly appreciated, and you may return to your assigned area at once."

It was the Masked Owl who had said that, and he seemed quite set on him leaving. Aedan began to notice the change of surroundings, they weren't flying over a body of water anymore, in fact, the Gateway to Hoole stood before them. It was a sudden, abrupt ending to what seemed like a conversation that was more important than anything else. There was so much to ask! But Aedan knew he had to comply.

But before he could leave, she brought up one last thing. "If you ever need to get ahold to me for any reason, come to the Gateway to Hoole and request to see me. They'll surely comply once you let them know who you are."

Aedan nodded, before quickly asking. "But madam, what about your-. . ."

"My name is Eglantine, young one! Don't you ever forget that!" She smiled once again, it would be the last thing Aedan would see her do.

Aedan felt his gizzard go silent, he knew that name — she was one of the owls from the legends! He was speechless, and couldn't even say goodbye as he departed. That finally cleared some things up about her relevance to all of this. He couldn't help feel incredibly stupid to not realize that sooner.

But as Aedan flew further out of sight, the Northern Pygmy Owl that had stayed out to the side, flew close to Eglantine now. The Pygmy Owl's face was filled with concern.

"Eglantine, you mustn't get too close to that owl! You must surely notice what is going on within him!"

Eglantine politely interrupted her friend. "I know Primrose, but he's our only reliable source. Besides, I think through this owl is the only way I can ever find my mate and children again. I just have that feeling in my gizzard, and I hope to Glaux that it will be true this time!"

* * *

Aedan's sense of memory had yet to catch up with him. It was early morning now, the night was all but gone, but he had only just gotten back from his escort sortie. Did it really take all that time? Or did he do something the hours afterwards? He was probably just forgetting something, he may of got into contact with Vara again, informing her of the developing situation. His two squadmates were nowhere to be found until moments later, they claimed to have been "patrolling" near a restricted hunting territory. The rest of the squadron was still nowhere to be seen.

"I'd heard they been deployed to Silverveil." Damien said, setting aside his gear. "Some kind of situation was going, something to do with two whole Silverveilian divisions being cut off near Blythewold, I'm guessing they needed our help pretty badly, and we'd listened."

This was shockingly similar to the situation Eglantine had mentioned going in Silverveil, was that really what was going on? How did a bunch of rebels manage to encircle two whole divisions in their capital at Blythewold? Of course, Aedan couldn't mention this to his chawmates, out of fears that it was still a sensitive thing to reveal.

Then, a single owl entered the hollow suddenly. It was Jedrek, his feathers in complete disarrayed, and for the first time Aedan heard him panting from exhaustion. He had clearly made some kind of escape, and didn't stop until he got back to them. A feeling of dread instantly filled all of their gizzards.

"Where's the rest of the squadron sir?" Gershom asked slowly. Jedrek just shook his head, still trying to catch his breath. It was clear enough response.

Of the eight owls that left, all but one were gone. From twelve to a mere one, the squadron has now been all but decimated. The 6th Evergreen Squadron, what was left of it, now stands with only four owls.

"Who could have done this?" Damien wondered in distress, what little confidence he did have was not completely gone.

When Jedrek only looked at Aedan, he already knew the answer to that question as well.

"Those Tytos?" Aedan asked apprehensively, Jedrek confirmed his theory with one, swift answer.

"Get ready for war lads, they know that we are involved, and will seek payback for what we did. It's not the Kingdom of Tyto or Silverveil we have to worry about, it's an enemy that hides itself from the depths of Shadow Forest. Pray to Glaux that nothing happens."

Aedan gulped, but in a way he was relieved, it was all what he had wanted to happen. For them to finally do something about it.

* * *

-{-}-

 ***Bonus***

* * *

 **?**

 _Unknown_

A Foreword With a Warning

Day 498

After countless days of reiterated request, my superior (to whom I can never refer to by name) has finally granted me permission to use a personal diary which will allow me to record my personal experiences both mentally and physically. Granted, this was only made possible by obliging to dozens of preset conditions that I must always consider if I wish to continue writing freely and without punishment. One condition I've already made mention to — my superior's identity — must never be explicitly mentioned; albeit, I believe that particular condition is open for interpretation, and I'm willing to wager that the term "explicitly mentioned" can be used loosely. Even so, dancing around the fire may not exactly be my best course action at the moment, especially considering the threat I am presently facing against right now.

One of the primary reasons for striving to get ahold of this journal is not for personal glory or fame, but for recollection. It is imperative, now more than ever, that I at least fill out all of my thoughts and actions in case I were to ever perish in the face of battle, or worse…. I cannot simply describe to you just how repugnant the situation has become for not just our enemies from beyond the canyonlands and across the Sea of Hoolemere, but from within as well. There are cunning stratagems beyond my scope of analytics, these plans are being initiated perfectly as we speak by everyone around me either intentionally or unconsciously. With everything falling into place systematically, for most of us, it is already too late to stop.

Oh, perhaps I am jumping ahead of myself, now aren't I? Warning about something horrible in a personal diary isn't exactly original now is it? I'm sure the adherence of this introduction is most confusing to any outside reader, if there ever is to be one. Considering the time frame I've began writing this entry, many by now would have taken notice to me over the skies of both Silverveil and Ambala — to most, as an enemy. My hope is that this entry will fill in the gaps between what is real and what is fiction. Most likely this journal will only be uncovered sometime after the war; but, when that'll be, only Glaux- . . . or possibly, my mentor, can truly know.

My very mentor, the one who had taught me how to read, write, fight, and much, much more. The exact same individual who happens to be my superior, the one who gave me this journal to begin with. Right now, I have to believe that this very owl I'm referring to is behind all of this. The circumstances for their rise to prominence, the current shape of this war, and even the fact that I get this journal now during all things? There has to be something my superior had wanted to hide, that is obvious, what I worry about is that getting this journal now could have little impact in the grand scheme of things. There's no telling if I've already been affected by whatever weapon is being used against both friend and foe, a weapon both indiscriminate and effective no matter boundary, species, or belief. There's no telling if what I'm about to say is even true to begin with, but to this point, I can only hope that someone out there may happen to come across this entry and know my story and role during all of this as well.

If I haven't already made it clear, I have no intentions of giving this to any outside party for any particular favors or as an act of retribution for what is going on right now. My only goal is to make clear to myself, and anyone that happens to come across this, what I know about everything to begin with. It is already apparent that even amongst the enemy there is misinformation being spread around like wildfire. Perhaps the owls over there are just as confused as we are, that is one possibility. Another is one I have come to fear, if my enemy has already deceived owls there too. To what reach they would have then? There could be no greater threat, especially since no one truly knows what this threat is to begin with.

This is where, in my long opening soliloquy, I must make reference to this one, crucial question: "What do the Guardians of Ga'Hoole stand for?"

I can already imagine the answers I would hear from each side, faction, and owl. With the Guardians themselves saying they stand for justice, the adjacent kingdoms claiming the Guardians stand for peace, and lastly our group would say the Guardians stand for their own interest.

Am I trying to say any of them are wrong? No, of course not. In fact, some of you may have different outlooks entirely. The real problem that many don't realize is that the answer is far clearer once you look at it from a simpler perspective. It didn't take long for me to truly realize this, as I could see it in the eyes of that old Barn Owl with the ancient set of battleclaws I'd encountered during that slink melf operation, after that, I knew there was no other answer.

 _The Guardians of Ga'Hoole stands solely for owlkind._

It isn't treasonous to state the obvious, they have always stood for owlkind, from their creation to their expansion. Their existence is entirely based on that sole fact alone and nothing else. What this means further extends into the realms of opinions and perspectives. Still, knowing this will ultimately explain why this war is happening to begin with, and will in time unravel who the true enemy really is.

Even if the reader of this journal has been under a rock all of this time, he or she would know that this war was inevitable. It was an irreversible curse bound to happen sometime after The War of the Ember, something that everyone should have saw coming (I must make reference to the fact that without my mentor, I would not have been made aware of these basic facts). The reasoning for this conflict can be summarized in one sentence: Do you believe in Ga'Hoole is the pinnacle of owlkind or not?

Thus, the conflict is the cumulation of all the things we believed Ga'Hoole stood up for; we are the antithesis of those who support the Guardians, for we believe it is not up to the Guardians to determine what is justice, what is peace, and what is simply right for everyone. For too long, they have had hegemony over the Southern Kingdoms, enforcing their standards and principles down upon everyone regardless of consent or previous history.

That is why we're fighting. We do not believe Ga'Hoole stands for owlkind, and having Ga'Hoole as a common enemy makes us allies with all those who stand against them.

However, in our quest to liberate the Southern Kingdoms, we've all forgotten who the true enemy is. And now, everyone will be at their mercy if we do nothing about it. Our enemy, not just mine or yours, are those who stand against owlkind. That should be the consensus amongst the two sides, but I fear that we've already reached a point where it is too late to reverse the hatred between the two factions. And I think only a few others truly realize that as well.

I can filibuster all I want about philosophy and my own significance, but no answer could ever be enough to show the validity of my claims. Treat my allegations as you will, but understand that there is no better way to tell you what I've experienced and seen. As such, the only thing I can do now is show you my life through the meanings of my own words. A daring task for me to endeavour upon, as this will be my first attempt at finally describing my experiences through the lens of a diary that is being carefully and deliberately watched over the very owl whom I speak against.

As one can imagine, I do not know what will come about of me once my superior finds out what I've stated inside of these pages. However, if you [my superior] are reading this, please understand that I'm only doing this to safeguard my own future. This testimony of events will prove as a shield against any outside influences, be it committed by the Guardians or you yourself. I'm certain, you can respect my wishes just as I have respected yours. If you wish to gain my trust, superior, then allow me to voice my own concerns even if no one shall recognize them.

Now then, I believe that with this day coming to a close, I should begin recording every instance I can in my life that leads up to this threat I'm dealing with right now. From an outside perspective, I can only imagine how confusing this introduction is to read, but I can assure you that directly after this entry I'll be describing everything you need to know about me, the world, and the owls around me. The one good thing about me I can state right now is my strong memory, I can recall just about every instances of my life despite only being slightly over a year old.

Due to my consensual relationship with my superior despite our misgivings, I will respect my superior's request to not reveal the exact circumstances that lead up to how I ended up at the start of the next entry. I will make mention to this, however, as a sign of defiance . . . but it is only a symbolic defiance at best. Just know something did happen during that gap in time. And treat that information accordingly.

Furthermore, I will not be making any direct mentionings to my life before the circumstances mentioned above. Explaining the more important chain of events first is more essential than retelling my early days as an owlet; though, I get the impression that I will have to make space for such an recollection eventually. Regardless, just know that I'm also restricted by the other conditions my superior and I have arranged, but if there is anything that has to be censored I will be sure to find a workaround to better explain it (or at least make mention to it).

Before I end this entry, I must give thanks to the members of the Tyto Liberation Division's Unit B — the true good guys, who have kept me alive and turned me into a fearsome warrior uptil now. I must also thank everyone that has helped me get through this bloody conflict both quickly and decisively. Lastly, as much as I don't want to admit it, I must express my utmost gratitude for my superior who doubles down as my mentor, despite of our differences and present hostilities. My superior has gave me the ability to express myself freely despite what I have to say against them. They've also saved me in the heat of combat more than once, given me a respectable position in their unit, and has given me the tools and knowledge to be a more sensible and intelligent owl than I ever would've imagined. Without my superior, I don't think I would have been blessed with such a purpose to begin with. So setting aside our differences, I admire and acknowledge my superior's role both as my commander and my teacher.

And with that, I end this entry here, but it will certainly not be the last so help me Glaux!


	13. First Taste of Battle

**A/N: Best I get this out before the New Year's Eve party . . . who knows what I'll do then? Kidding, sorry about those last two updates, I promise I won't do them prematurely again. So I've been somewhat hard-pressed lately, I'll admit to that, but I should be good for the time being. I think this chapter is just further proof that I can still get something done despite those setbacks. Hmm, otherwise I don't really know what to say. This chapter will be slightly larger than most of the others, in large part due to the bonus (which, I can admit, could be a chapter of its own if I really wanted to). But I'm still undecided on what to do with the bonuses. So . . . yeah, I'll leave you all alone so you can read the chapter, I got to respond to some people because it would be improper for me to suddenly disappear again without at least responding to a single message. Until next time, take care.**

* * *

"We cannot fight new wars with old weapons"

~ Vinoba Bhave

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

 _First Taste of Battle_

There was no sleep for Aedan on that short autumn day. How could anyone sleep after everything that had just happened? In less than a week, of the sixteen owls assigned to this squadron, only four were left standing — two of whom weren't even done with their combat training yet. It was a mess that was only bound to get worse.

Aedan tried resting his head against his back in the way owls do when sleeping, but he just couldn't get comfortable. The sunlight's powerful rays made its way into the interior of the hollow, shining on Aedan's pair of battleclaws, causing it to reflect brilliantly into Aedan's face, catching his dazed attention at every moment.

 _Constant maintenance on my battleclaws seems to be paying off._ Aedan quipped agitatedly.

Opting that he would never be able to sleep under such conditions, he rose out of his nest wearily, and tried refocusing his eyes on the text on the latest page he left off on in the book he was currently reading. It would help distract him for the time being, but slowly the thoughts about their present situation slowly began to hound him into recollecting what had been stated.

The news Jedrek had brought back with him was far more ominous than Aedan had expected. Everything had started to connect to him now, but it was already too late. Even then, what information they had now was only — at best — the tip of the iceberg, as the owls from the North would say.

It turns out the situation in Silverveil was far worse than originally predicted. By an amazing coincidence, just as the Ambalian forces operating in Silverveil were ordered to stand down, a large, concentrated — and most shocking of all — well-organized and equipped army of unknown origin swept in and assisted the rebel forces against the standing monarchy of Silverveil. The sudden appearance of these forces caught the loyalist off-guard, and in the chaos, the Silverveilian capital and central forest region: Blythewold, was encircled and cut-off. Trapped inside were two whole Silverveilian division, and essentially almost all the owls of Silverveil that held the position of power, including Queen Blythe herself.

It would be an understatement to say that the choices each government took during this crisis had the most impact on the future to come. The Silverveilians requested assistance from any outside party, regardless of opinion or origins, to help open up their besieged capital. Ga'Hoole was surprisingly the first to send forces, albeit, in complete secrecy. A small Search-and-Rescue unit was dispatched, as well as several additional support assets to monitor weather patterns and perform reconnaissance. Their presence, however, was as minimal as it could be. Their only objective was to evacuate Queen Blythe, and for good reason, as Aedan had learned from his previous conversations with both Jedrek and the infamous Eglantine herself.

In any case, Ambala found itself in a difficult position to take on the request. Silverveil was now not only being dealing with rebels but was possibly being invaded by a hostile power. The Kingdom of Tyto, naturally, stayed clear of the conflict, and Ga'Hoolian involvement was limited; so Ambala would be acting unilaterally in whatever action they choose. In the end, they elected to help, sending what units they had available into the fray.

As things turned out, the enemy was prepared and had expected a swift counterattack. While the Guardians achieved their objective of saving Blythe, the plan to save Blythewold failed almost as soon as it began. Many Ambalians were expecting a typical counter-insurgency operation, but it turned out to be a full-scale war zone in the air over Blythewold.

As Jedrek recollected, his squadron had its first encounter with the all-Tyto formation Aedan had mentioned in his report. From the account Jedrek gives, it wasn't just catastrophic, it was humiliating.

"The actual battle lasted only four minutes," Jedrek had stated in a wavering voice. "We were obliterated only seconds after I called the retreat, we hadn't even got one of them - it was a disaster."

Details regarding the enemy's tactics and capabilities were still unknown. The only thing that Jedrek knew for certain was that no Ambalian unit at the present moment could come face-to-face with it, defeating them would require either a superiority in numbers or Guardian assistance.

"Our only solution to dealing with them is to turn tail and fly as far away as we can." He warned, only adding additional anxiety to the small, inexperienced group that remained.

Jedrek changed immediately after that encounter, Aedan noted. But not from losing his unit, or from engaging that enemy group either. There was something else that caught his eye, something far worse than those Tytos he had only just barely survived against. But until Jedrek opened up, nobody would figure out what had changed him, and possibly never will.

Now, it was believed that Ambala's presence in the war was no longer a secret. The enemy, clearly not from Silverveil, will treat Ambala as a direct belligerent in the once already complicated Silverveilian Civil War. Hence, a war seemed likely in the very near future. All Ambalian units were put on alert at once; limited conscription of former soldiers that had already served of moons past was implemented. But it would take time for such units to get organized should fighting break out immediately. As for now, the fate of Ambala rested on the wings of slightly over a hundred owls; against an enemy that could very well outnumber them two-fold or more.

It was still unknown just who was in control of the enemy army, what their intentions were, and why they were involved in the Silverveilian Civil War. All that was known was that the invading army had crossed the border from the Shadow Forest, a territory believed to only shelter outcast and criminals. For them to have an organized army was alarming, given their lack of any known institutional representation or leadership. But there was still hope that at best this army was just a gang of hireclaws united against the Kingdoms of S'yrthghar that would be swiftly defeated in a matter of several moons.

But after tonight, Aedan just couldn't see that happening.

The concern for the inquiry of Aedan's group dissipated and whatever hope there was for a rescue mission was abandoned completely. Aedan himself almost forgot about the group, but with the war coming, he hardly put his mind to them.

 _No point grieving for the dead._ Aedan had flatly concluded. His regard for the group seemed to change about as much as his concern for the Gateway to Hoole.

Motion grabbed Aedan's weary attention, but it turned out to be Geshron stirring slightly in his rather relaxed sleep. Aedan groaned.

He had no interest in anyone in this unit, only Jedrek has gotten his slightest attention. But even then, Aedan never cared about him or bothered to get to know him. The world was simpler that way, getting to know people was just a waste of time. There was no one he truly missed from that navie group either.

Well, there was one owl he did seriously miss.

* * *

Aedan didn't quite recall when he had fallen asleep, but while he was, he was having one of the most marvelous of dreams. That soon ended, as he was awoken by some outside force that wasn't that of his free will. He wasn't in his nest either, he was awkwardly collapsed on the hollow's floor, right on top of the book he was reading.

"Come on Aedan," someone shook him around, sounded like Gershom. "we got a scramble order."

Aedan was up and ready not a moment too soon. Grabbing his gear, he made his way to Jedrek's hollow for the briefing. Which would mark the first times Aedan actually got to hear what objectives and current intelligence they had.

"Good, you're all here, let's get this briefing started as quickly as possible." Jedrek began, glancing down at a map of S'yrthghar that he had brought out earlier.

"Roughly ten minutes ago, a messenger attached to a reconnaissance detachment of the 4th Ambalian Division has reported a skirmish on the border near our assigned sector of operations, right around here."

He pointed towards an area just north of where they were located, it was right along the Ambalian-Barren border, an area that has long been considered neutral territory.

"Given what I have just mentioned, it is our responsibility to deal with these hooligans before they enter deeper into Ambalian airspace."

Jedrek looked at them, their faces all showed the same concern.

"I know we're vastly understrength at the present moment, but there is no one else who can handle this task. In fact, the division I had mentioned earlier is also only at peacetime strength, so more realistically it is regimental sized at best."

Damien was the first to ask a question, "Sir, permission to speak."

"Granted."

"What's the strength of the attacking force? Are they an invasion force or a small raiding group?"

"From what the messenger had stated, they encountered a roughly similarly sized group of fours owls — likely an opposing reconnaissance party. But given how units of the 4th Division will be moving in to assist the group, I would expect the same response from the intruders."

Jedrek paused, "What I'm truly worried about is what else the enemy might have in the area, that is why you three are being sent to the battle zone: to ensure nothing can surprise or ambush our soldiers caught in the fight."

Gershom and Aedan's faces were horrified, Damien was also quite perturbed by what he had heard.

"Us three!?" They looked at each other, "Against a real enemy?"

"The situation's tough lads," Jedrek said sternly, "but normally we would have one section guard the base while the other goes out on sorties. We don't have such a luxury anymore, so I'll be staying behind to ensure no bad owl could just sneak into here unopposed. But you three must get to the battle, for if you don't, this area could be occupied by the end of the night if it truly is as bad as things are in Silverveil."

The three of them gulped, they hadn't realized just how vulnerable this outpost was now that the enemy could fly over The Barrens unopposed.

Jedrek observed their disheartened attitudes and began giving them advice.

"Let me remind you, lads that you aren't soldiers, you're tactical assets. You change the course of the battle not by fighting, but by simply being there. You're a deterrent, the enemy won't capitalize on anything our division does with you overhead, poised to strike at their throats with a rain of bolts without ever facing any retaliation."

He leaned in towards them, they all stood slightly taller when he did so.

"But that doesn't mean you can't fight, there will be a point where you need to in order to keep our comrades safe. But your target is not the grunt slicing madly at one of the soldiers down there over the forest canopy. Your targets are the dangerous ones: the flankers, the divers, and — if it really is the unknown army — the hunters. Should there be any hunters or any foreign soldier with a crossbow, you take them out immediately. I don't care if he's your brother, friend, or Hoole himself, you put a bolt between his eyes before he can do any harm to you or anyone else."

"But . . . sir," Gershom weighed in, "what if they're Silverveilian or allied? Shouldn't we consider that a possibility."

Jedrek's remedy for the problem was quite simple. "If it's a formation that engages our own, or appears to have hostile intent, you don't think twice about it, I'll do the extra paperwork if I really have to. Friendly or not, don't take any chances."

Jedrek looked at Aedan and particular for a good several seconds, almost completely reading his mind, he made one final statement to the group.

"We already spent far more time than I would normally allow, but . . . if you see any enemy formation with clear superiority over your own, you have my permission to disengage and return here immediately. Don't be a hero, that's why you chose this specialty anyway, you're worth more than three soldiers under the same conditions if you wanted to play hero, you should've become a soldier. That is all, Damien, let me brief you quickly on more mission specific details. But I want you all out of here within the next two minutes."

"Yes, sir looks like I'll be in charged then."

* * *

The last shades of sunlight struggled vainly to reach them, but darkness quickly swept over the vast reaches of Ambala. With the thermals now no longer prevalent, the trio only now decided to stop ascending. At this altitude alone, it would take a long while for someone else to match even if they did have thermals to aid them. With the thermals now gone in this area, it would be a daymare to try and reach their altitude without being detected, or completely out of physical energy.

Aedan was shaking badly, they weren't even over the battle area yet, but his gizzard quavered uncontrollably. A fat vole would've satisfied his gizzard for the time being, but already being this high up, going all the way down just for a quick meal hardly seemed practical — especially if he had to fly all the way back up.

 _I can already tell how this is going to be._ Aedan thought grimly to himself. It was just a disaster waiting to happen. He would yarp up a pellet right now, but he had nothing in his system, to begin with.

Aedan, having nothing better to do, gazed over at his comrades. He made sure he was keeping pace with them and maintaining his position.

 _It would be a shame to get lost now._

They were flying in a vee formation, Aedan was the starboard element, while Gershom was the port element. Damien, naturally being the flight leader, was in frontmost element leading the flight. It goes without saying that this was one of the more simpler of formations, but it was better than having no formation.

In the end, Aedan concluded, formation flying — despite being a pain in the tailfeathers — drastically increased his chances for survival . . . as the enemy would have no trouble figuring out who the flight leader was, thus giving Aedan a chance to flee when they are ambushed.

"So, did the lieutenant say anything important that we should know about?" Gershom asked pensively.

Damien looked over at him briefly, before looking back ahead. "Just remember your training, that's all you need to ever care about. I'll guide you two every step of the way and we'll be just fine."

Aedan found this comment to be rather odd, Damien was of a higher rank and responsibility, sure, but he sure wasn't any more experienced in fighting an actual war than the two of them. Maybe secretly Damien was hoping this skirmish they were getting themselves into was nothing more than some stray hireclaws that got a little too jumpy when encountering the reconnaissance group. It would make sense to be hopeful during a time like this, war can, and possibly still, could be avoided.

Then there was Jedrek, who was acting somewhat strange as well. Sending his small, inexperience trio of misfits into a combat zone for the first time? Hardly seemed like a well thought out decision from the looks of it. Aedan just had the feeling some cowardliness had to be a factor as well, with a devastating track record of losing his entire squadron in the last two sorties, it perhaps isn't too difficult to believe Jedrek couldn't stand to see a patch of owls die for a third and final time.

Maybe Jedrek thought he was cursed, that he himself was the reason why all these owls were dying. So he somehow reasoned in his mind that staying out of the fight would save them from his curse.

 _He's an interesting owl, that's for certain._ Aedan reflected, he wanted to mention it to the group but he decided against it. His gizzard was too distracting anyhow.

Instead, Aedan listened in on what Gershom was asking Damien now, ensuring every step of their appearance was thought out.

"And what happens when we run out of bolts to shoot, do we just start going after them without our light battleclaws?"

"Remember what Jedrek had said: we're a deterrent, while we ourselves may know that we're out of bolts, our enemies may not. They'll certainly think twice before trying to overwhelm us. Even then, if worst comes to worst, we can just retreat, there's nothing stopping us from doing so."

 _But what happens if we can't retreat?_ Aedan wanted to ask, but secretly, he already knew the answer to that question.

"Contact, we're nearing the battle zone, keep an eye out for anything unusual and wait for my instructions." Damien clipped flatly. But they could sense the anxiousness in his voice.

They were mute within seconds, petrified only moments later.

Aedan was the first to see it, or at least that's what he thought. There were about a dozen owls on both sides, circling, slicing, and slamming into their opponents in what Aedan would consider organized chaos. The sounds were horrible, the shrieking, screaming, and pleading was just too much. Aedan couldn't but wonder just how unbearable for Gershom who could hear all of it with perfect clarity.

Despite the altitude difference, Aedan could still see each owl individually, their feather coloration, and species. He watched with silent disgust as an Ambalian Great Grey Owl was outflanked by another adversary and disposed of by a single sword swipe across the neck. The way the Great Grey's head tilted and the irrevocable amount of blood squirted was enough to traumatize Aedan immediately.

 _How could anyone possibly have wanted . . . this?_

But Aedan slowly realized the hypocrisy of his own innocent statement. It was he, after all, that advocated strongly for war against whoever had owlnapped his friends.

And war, they now clearly have . . .

Almost shamefully, Aedan was glad he wasn't down there in that bloody free-for-all. To be up here rather than down there was well worth the hunger he was previously experiencing before.

Though, he had already lost his appetite.

"We have to help them!" Aedan declared suddenly, slowly beginning to bank towards the direction of the battle.

"No, stay right where you are Aedan!" Damien commanded, his voice quite firm despite what he and the rest of them were witnessing.

Aedan suddenly got angry by the order, "You coward! You're just going to let them die!? I'm going down there to help them with or without you, you aren't stopping me!"

Damien swelled and burst out furiously at Aedan, "I am _ordering_ you to stay in position! If you so much as move in that direction I'll shoot you myself! Do I make myself clear!?"

Aedan was forced to back down in second thought. That, and the familiar deja vu of a similar case with his old group during their grand escape over The Barrens. In that previous situation, Aedan disobeyed orders and dived to escape, which turned out to be the right decision in the end. But still, he was forced to reconsider, he had never heard Damien speak in such a manner; it just wasn't like him.

Gershom just kept his beak shut, but he secretly yearned for them to start speaking again — anything to cloud out those hideous noises would be a Glaux-send.

Once Damien regathered his composure, he explained. "This is what war looks like, young ones. Take a good look at it. Listen to it, it ain't like those darn legends now, is it? It's horrible, yes, but we aren't any Guardians. We can't just rush down there and expect to save everyone with our arrival. That's stupid and will only get us killed."

Aedan gazed down slowly, he began to realize the flaws of his rushed attempt to help their comrades down below. But he was still skeptical as to what exactly Damien was getting at.

Damien continued, "We have to think smart, not just so we can live longer, but so we can help more owls in the end. Look down there, they clearly don't know we're here, and that's a good thing, means we have the element of surprise on our side. All that action down there is going to fixate the real threats to them instead of us. Which means we have the advantage, which also means we can help more owls than we would if we didn't have such an advantage."

Damien looked at Aedan he summarized his plan into a single word.

"Patience, Aedan, patience."

And so, they waited. And they waited, listening to the awful sounds below, trying to ignore it from driving them completely yoicks. They waited so long, in fact, reinforcements arrived at roughly the same time for both sides. With a bittersweet sense of irony, the original dozen that had been fighting had either been in killed in action or were wounded and disengaged from the fight. The replacements almost systematically filled in the gaps.

The first group was roughly battalion-sized, or a third of a regiment. The second group was equal to that estimate, so already almost a regimental-sized unit has been committed to the fighting, while an Ambalian flight of three owls just circled above, watching the stalemate go on for minutes on end.

Losing what little patience he had, Aedan was just about to demand immediate action. Before Gershom picked up some noticeably distinct sounds. Somehow managing to pick it up through the clutter of the chaos down below.

"I got something, sounds like . . . someone firing a crossbow."

They were all instantly alert, scanning the battle below and the skies around them for the supposed source Gershom had heard.

"Where? In the battle? Is it ours or theirs?" Damien asked urgently, but Aedan had already picked them up visually.

"I see them," Aedan announced, "they're diving in on the Ambalian troops now."

It was easy to pick them out from the rest, unlike the Ambalians who uniformly bore some form of green dye over their feathers, the opposition had no such markings at all. Seeing the ones with the crossbow was thus quite easy despite the speed in which they were traveling. There were two of them, both of them were diving in on some poor soldiers who couldn't retaliate. It was their mark now.

"It's time, ready up, we're diving into the action."

And at once they were descending earthwards towards the hunters that were now to be the hunted. The three of them scanned their surroundings whilst in the dive, there was no one to interrupt the ambush. The element of surprise was maintained as well.

As they neared their targets, Damien veered off to target on Aedan's left, Gershom followed. In response, Aedan directed himself towards the sole remaining target, still oblivious to his presence.

Aedan could see the owl clearly now, it was a Spotted Owl much like himself, he almost had the exact same equipment setup, minus the different material used on his battleclaws. The target was glancing around the skirmish area, picking out another victim for his next attack.

Won't be happening on my watch. Aedan resolved, swearing he would kill this owl before it touched one more soul.

The distance to the enemy rapidly decreased, Aedan slowly started to pull on the string. It was no different from the exercise he had done about a moon ago. All he had to do was make sure his aim was right and pull the string.

 _3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . goodbye._

Aedan pulled on the string.

Nothing . . .

Aedan panicked, he looked down at his talon with the string, everything seemed in place . . . maybe he hadn't actually properly loaded the crossbow!

He made sure a bolt was in it, then pulled the string again.

Still nothing.

The enemy Spotted Owl finally picked up on Aedan's bearing and banked suddenly in an effort to get away from him. Aedan was now forced to keep up with a moving target.

 _What could be- . . . racdrops! The safety!_

Due to the fact, the crossbow is operated with a moving talon, there are certain instances — such as landing — where one might want to keep his crossbow from firing. One method of preventing such an accident is by allowing the owl to remove the string, which can be troublesome to get back on in combat. The other option was a safety feature, which allowed an owl to operate their battleclaws as normally expected without accidentally firing a crossbow.

Training did teach this crucial lesson to Aedan, but in the heat of combat, such lessons were easily forgotten.

 _Got it! Now how do I aim?_

Aiming was more challenging, especially against a moving target on the horizontal field. Unlike the exercise has done nights before, horizontal shooting was far more difficult for Aedan and in general. The fact being, he was supposed to be trained on this particular skill on this very night actually, but the scramble order had been a dent in such lessons.

 _Well, I'm going to have to learn quickly._ Aedan decided, keeping in turn with the enemy in front of him.

Despite the angle in which the crossbow fired, there was always the slimmest of possibilities Aedan would stick his head out in such a way where he would be shooting himself in the back of the head. This danger was most commonly seen when an owl was looking at a target moving in the horizontal direction, forcing the user to have to look in such a way that may not seem comfortable or normal.

Too concerned about the possibility he might end up shooting himself, Aedan gave a rough estimate and tried rapid firing bolts at the target, only a single bolt was launched.

The bolt fell short by a good wing length, and the Spotted Owl quickly reversed its direction and started banking the other way.

Aedan was too busy dealing with the new predicament now.

 _Just my luck, did it really jam?_

He tried pulling on the string again, nothing came out. Though, after a quick thought, he wanted to slap himself in the face with his wing. He forgot to insert an additional bolt by pulling back the crossbow.

 _Can't wait to see what's going to happen next._ Aedan mused but given the number of mistakes, he had made in this short-span of time. The opponent clearly hasn't taken advantage of those opportunities.

It then dawned on Aedan that this opponent, the nameless enemy he was so determined to kill, was just like him in every way. Young, a Strix, and likely his first combat mission. It almost made him reluctant to pull the string again, almost.

Aedan fired off his bolts this time in rapid succession, they were aimed too far ahead, however, and all three of them missed. Despite this, the enemy panicked, began hooting for assistance and banked violently into the other direction. This proved to be a crucial mistake: the hard turn burnt most of the target's speed, Aedan was now closer than ever and couldn't possibly miss again.

Aedan breathed in slowly, then pulled. Two bolts hit their mark, and the Spotted Owl screeched in agony. Aedan watched as the Spotted Owl spiraled downwards, he could see where the bolts had hit: one on the left wing, the other near his upper back. There was no recovering from the latter hit, and the former made flying an impossibility.

 _I . . . I just-_

Something whooshed over his head, it quickly grabbed hold of his senses. Two more projectiles flew out in front of him, he didn't even have to see it, he knew exactly what they were: bolts.

Aedan's head darted around, looking for the source of who had fired them. To his horror, a Snowy Owl was directly behind him, lining up for another shot. Aedan answered his presence with a sharp banking turn to starboard, but like the predecessor before him, it proved to be a futile move.

 _Racdrops, what do I do!?_

The snapping sound of an enemy crossbow filled Aedan's ear silts, he responded with a sudden bank in the opposite direction, but one bolt nearly clipped him in the tail; a single tailfeather was snagged with the bolt. Aedan was just like the Spotted Owl before him: hunter that became the hunted in this sick game otherwise called war. Aedan couldn't even think straight at this point, pleading for help at this point would be useless, there simply was too little time. What if his comrades were already gone? Surely if this owl caught him by surprise, another could have gotten Gershom or Damien by now.

 _Oh Glaux, I don't want to die just yet! He has me! Please! Not like this!_

Aedan just then heard it, but he didn't want to see it.

* * *

-(-)-

 ***Bonus***

* * *

 **?**

 _Unknown_

 _Inhale . . . exhale . . . inhale . . . come on! I can do this!_

The withering Barn Owl darted downwards towards the dense forest below, I sped after him closely. Our wings almost completely folded in the descent, our forward velocities neared the maximum. Such speeds made silent flight impossible but said conditions are negligible in this fight anyways.

His battleclaws caught my eyes again — generations old — it would be an illustrious prize to attain from killing this High-Value Target. My excitement quickened at the thought.

 _A foolish owl still using a century-old weapon, my technological edge should make this an easy fight. Though . . . these oldtimers are always so unpredictable, Glaux I hope this one isn't too special._

The ferocious wind battered into me like a solid wall. My face bounced all about from the forces exerted on it, but my training kept my head exactly where it needed to be — towards the enemy. The rest of my body strained from the violent rush of air, but I pressed onward, intent on my one goal: to survive; and, to accomplish that, I must kill.

My opponent's descent slackened, a layer of mist passed over us as the ground neared. The droplets soothed over my wings but also splattered against my eyes, forcing me to use my third eyelid to keep it clean. Regardless, this owl would never go out of my sight.

Blood surged through my veins, my breaths deepened, and my eyes narrowed. I was only moments away from getting an opportunity to fire. I carefully lessened my turn until it fell into pace with his own movements, performed the proper procedures for arming the crossbow, and tensed my single talon for the kill shot. Seconds past, then a volley of several bolts were released in quick succession, my crossbow groaned in stress from the rapid shots while the bolts raced towards their intended victim.

No sooner had I fired, the Barn Owl suddenly extended his wings and changed their orientation. A cloud of condensation formed from his wings' wake. A condition only made possible by several different parameters, with one being a sudden increase of excessively generated lift- it happened too suddenly for me to realize that in doing so he was also intentionally increasing his drag.

He barrel rolled and was rapidly decelerating now, the bolts I had fired missed their mark, and now I realized I was on collision course with the Barn Owl. If I didn't act fast, I would be right where he wanted me. Trying to get him with my own battleclaws would be futile, he would incapacitate me before I could even lay a talon on him.

Reacting instinctively, I banked downwards to avoid the kill zone of his battleclaws. With too little time, I heard the claws unclick from resting position, and a sharp sensation stung through my starboard wing as he passed over me. The magazine that fed into my repeating crossbow was also forcibly detached and lost. Glancing over my wing quickly, a long, vertical cut blemished my once unmarked appearance. Thankfully, the wound was not fatal nor did it impair my flying ability, but it did sting badly. If I hadn't reacted in time, those battleclaws would have cut my wing in half!

Despite the minor injury, there were more pressing problems.

I turned my head in a full one-eighty towards my back. I caught sight of my crossbow: damaged, but it still had one bolt in it.

 _That's all I'll ever need._ I assured myself. If everything else was intact, the crossbow may work just fine. The thought about if it didn't haven't even crossed my mind. The stakes were just too high to assume the worst.

 _It has to work, it has to._

My eyes focused in on the subject rapidly approaching from behind me. Evaluating my chances for survival was quite simple: either in the next few seconds I get a shot off against him- somehow . . . or I perish. Those were my options.

 _Inhale . . . exhale . . . I will not die here! I will survive!_

* * *

An awkward place to start off, but a meaningful one — to me, at least. These were the moments leading up to the very scene that encouraged me to begin writing this diary in the first place. I cannot explain to you now why this particular battle caused me to do so. I can simply say it made me realize just how quickly I can perish in this world without leaving anything on record — anything of the truth. It'll mean all the same if I were to tell you that there was a more complicated reason, but isn't that the very point I was getting at?

I didn't start off my life expecting to be chasing after Guardians of mythical proportions. I'm sure if you were to tell my younger self that, he wouldn't even laugh it off as a joke. He'd just assume he was told yet another flat-faced lie.

Such expectations of any such significance for me were . . . blandly hopeful at best, realistically bleak otherwise. I just didn't have any talents to give to a peaceful and prosperous world. I couldn't read, write, craft, study, or have the willpower to try and find something I was truly good at. All I could do was fly, hunt, and talk.

But name one owl that couldn't do at least one of those three things?

I bring this up because one must realize that I had nowhere left to go, no parents to rely upon, and no society to truly back me up. I didn't start out young as a confident, intelligent, and important soldier. In fact, I would like to think that I'm becoming something more than a soldier, but even now it is too early to tell. Being able to write like this didn't just occur overnight, and the ability to keep up with even the most notorious of Guardians wasn't a naturally derived skill either.

The culmination of my existence started not from the hatching of an egg, but from the sudden change of environment. As I'll come to remember, and you'll come to find out, there is one trait that I have over all the others before me that has turned me into the owl I am today. It wasn't intelligence, wits, or even luck — perhaps it helped me along the way — but there was only one thing that kept me alive in the end.

With memories fresh in my mind, it is now time to fathom what exactly I meant by that, by exploring the earliest moments of what I consider to be the start of my life.

* * *

 **?**

 _Unknown_

A New Home

Day 2

This was my first full night in this jagged dreamland, it was almost surreal to see such a foreign ecosphere exist. But what did I know? I was just a young owl once sheltered in the depths of a forest. In a way, I would come to miss the experience of living in the heights of a tree, but the life offered here at this place was well worth the sacrifice. Besides, there's a certain kind of satisfaction to living inside of a naturally occurring chamber — especially for the first time.

As positive as I make my first night out to be, hindsight of those precarious times makes it appear less fluctuating and more uplifting than it really was. I can say for certain that my first time sleeping in a chamber wasn't a memorable occurrence, despite the accommodations given. The day of sleeping for me was filled with tears and fears, it was a scary time for me to be there, especially after what had happened the night before.

I don't quite remember why I had been crying, as there wasn't really anything I missed back home. I do remember my left foot swelling from the pain; but, that's something I'll get into later.

The chamber itself wasn't much, but it was a generous accommodation now that I look back upon it. The stone walls weren't too unpleasant to look at, despite the blandness of it all. There was single nest right in the middle of the chamber, which within itself was a good sign of hospitality the owls here offered. It had freshly packed moss recently grabbed from Ambala — I don't know how I knew that, but there's a certain kind of feeling you get from the mosses of different regions. On that note, frankly I find moss grown from Cape Glaux to be my favorite: but obviously, I was nowhere near there, and wouldn't have such moss anytime soon.

Back on point. In summary, I couldn't complain about my living quarters for the time being. Though that wasn't exactly the full story, obviously, as the only details I've given have been about the nest. And, sadly, I won't really be able to mention anything that had gone on during that first night at this place aside from that.

But as I had alluded to earlier — despite having the best sleeping materials this place had to offer— I couldn't sleep well on that first day. I was too afraid to sleep, too much was left unanswered just for me to sleep on it. But I did eventually give in to my own fatigue, and I actually had a very gentle experience in my slumber for the rest of that day. Though, waking up earlier that day in a place I am far from familiar with was still an intimidating consideration.

Blinking my eyes slowly, my mind slowly began to stir. By the time my eyes had finally managed to refocus, I was staring at a plain stone wall, instantly reminding me that the occurrence from yesterday was far from a dream.

I grunted slowly as I stretched my long, cream-colored wings in futility, the surrounding walls opposed my every moment so it seemed.

I was surprised I wasn't baking from any run-off heat that developed earlier while the sun was out. But given the fact we were quite a distance below the surface, I wasn't too shocked by the revelation that it was a lot colder than usual during this time of the season.

With my young mind functioning normally now, I quickly realized my current set of objectives and quickly got up out of my nest to exit the chamber.

But before I could leave, a mind-numbingly painful discomfort shot through my body. Almost immediately, I relieved my left foot of the applied pressure, but now I was only standing on one claw. This made things difficult, as I hadn't considered the fact that the two talons on my left claw were still somewhat injured.

 _Great, I knew I should've asked to go to an infirmary when I first got here._ I scorned myself. But given the circumstances of what had happened last night, I had to explain this carefully to anyone I may happen to run across.

"A problem for another time," I answered to myself, as I typically did when I was alone. "But for now, I have to meet up with that Lieutenant Major who wanted to see me as soon as possible."

At the time, I didn't quite know what a "Lieutenant Major" was, but I'd assumed it was an awfully high military ranking. It had the word "Major" in it, after all.

Beginning to walk out of the chamber, I did so with great displeasure. I think my face expressed it all, as a massive Eurasian Eagle Owl immediately took notice of me the second I walked out of the chamber and asked in concern.

"Are you alright young one? You seem quite hurt."

Having a place I needed to be and not wanting to deal with the formalities, I quickly nodded him off.

"I'm alright, thank you. I was just making my way to the infirmary now." It was a half-truth: I did plan on going to the infirmary, but I needed to complete my primary objective first.

The Eagle Owl proved to be persistent. "That's not a bad idea, I can escort you down there if you like."

I appreciated the level of care this owl was willing to offer, but it was starting to be obstructive to my present plans. I stared into his unjudging yellow eye, before taking notice the striking wound covering part of his face. The wound was so recent, in fact, he still had bandages over it and his right eye. I also now realized that he was likely heading to the infirmary as well, but I tried to reassure him as nicely as possible.

"Your assistance isn't necessary, good sir, and while I am grateful for your offer, I think I'm old enough to handle myself — no offense intended."

The Eagle Owl smiled, to which I followed suit, "None taken, you take care of yourself, young one."

I started to exit out of my chamber's exit slowly and it was admittedly uncomfortable, but the Eagle Owl didn't object to my movement. Though, after about the third step, he did call out to me again.

"Oh, and young one?"

I turned around towards him, he was somewhat complacent to my attention.

"If you ever need any help, just let me know." He kept his smile, and just continued to look at me with his one good eye.

It was a somewhat awkward statement for me to respond to. But I managed to think of something.

"Yeah, sure . . . okay." I smiled back at him, then continued on my way down the small, narrow corridor.

The corridor was more like a small tunnel with enough head-room for the Eagle Owl back there, and enough width for me to fully extend my wings, but probably not enough width for the Eagle Owl to do the same. It was dark most of the time, but being nocturnal creatures, it hardly was a handicap. Eventually, this corridor will lead out to a bigger, wider one where more activity was bound to be.

By the time I reached the exit of this corridor, I looked back towards my chamber, and to my surprise I saw the Eagle Owl still standing there, looking at me with that same smile on his beak. I didn't even bother to nod towards him, it was just too strange.

 _I wonder what's up with that owl . . ._ I thought, but I quickly forgot about it now that I was in the main area of activity.

The main area, so-to-speak, was mostly just a large gathering section that acted as the epicenter to what would otherwise be a confusing maze of crevices and tunnels in this particular part of the region. From what I will learn later on in my experience here, in the past the original owls that had settled this place had organized each particular section of the ravine into different areas based on methodical preference and purpose.

Of course, at around this time, I had no idea about any of this, and it was perhaps for the better. As I would come to find out, the owls here were quite critical towards the previous owners of this rocky ravine. So while asking a question about them would've been acceptable, I'm pretty sure it would prove to be irritating to some others.

Even during daytime, it proved to be a hectic experience for everyone trying to get around. Scores of owls were flying about, with many others of varying species walking and running on the ground. It was a clutter of wings and feathers — it was indescribable. My younger self couldn't think of anything to compare it to, though now, I think the only other place with this kind of interaction would be at one of the two of the Great Trees of Ga'Hoole.

While this was stunning to look at, more problems would come out of it than I had hoped for. Walking around would make it hard to be conspicuous, and I didn't even know where this "Lieutenant Major" was. But I knew that regardless, I wouldn't find him just standing around, so I began my search at once.

Walking with my left foot in such a state still proved to be difficult, but I tried to ease the pain by putting less pressure on it with each step. However, this made me walk very awkwardly, wobbling around like an idiot must have been entertaining to some; but soon enough, it would actually pay off. It made me impossible to miss — or at least — so I thought.

A rather large Barn Owl approached me, by now the crowd of owls seemed to all but disappear. He greeted me with a half-genuine smirk.

"Welcome- . . ." he studied me carefully, "young one. I've been hearing so much about the new arrival, I just couldn't wait to meet you."

I smiled somewhat sincerely, even if these were cherry-picked statements. "I'm quite glad to hear of your anticipation for me, Lieutenant Major."

He offered a claw to me. "Please, just call me Erwin."

I took up his unspoken offer with my right claw, shaking his claw with mine. "Byron, but I never really come to like that name."

Erwin churred softly. "You go by something else then? You certainly aren't the first owl I've ever encountered that is displeased with their birth name."

I shook my head. "No, I haven't bothered to think of anything other than Byron. I guess I'm just too uncreative to even think of a good name."

He looked at me somewhat pitifully, but I truly think he was mostly indifferent about my personal inadequacies. Personally, I liked that far more than having someone spew fake filler compliments towards me.

"I'm sure we'll give you a nickname once we get to know you; but, I'm warning you right now: you probably won't like it."

"I certainly won't mind," I said with a churr, "I'll be fine with anything other than Byron."

Erwin gave a brief chuckle, I'm sure he was thinking of just how wrong I was. But he moved on to the _real_ matter.

"So I hate to ask you this, but you are a Tyto, correct? Right now I have this slight suspicion in my gizzard that you may secretly be a puffin in disguise."

If I haven't already made it obvious, I was indeed a young, developing Tyto. Sometimes I can be bound to forget such things that seem so obvious to me, but not so obvious to the reader should there ever be one. But yes, I was a Tyto, not so much a puffin — but there's always a chance.

Knowing he was making a joke about my earlier walking posture, I played along with him.

"I can't deny such a possibility, but would you be satisfied if I gave you a simple yes?"

He smiled, "I think I'll take your word for it, but that isn't how I found you so easily if you're wondering."

I looked up at him in dismay. "Hmm? How exactly did you find me then?"

"Take a look around you, young one. I think you should've been able to notice the disparity by now."

I didn't know what he meant by that at first, but then it started to become obvious to me. I could find the wide variety species of owls, from Strix to Aegolius. But for the life of me, I just couldn't see any other Tytos of any kind. I and Erwin were all that represented our species genus.

"Where are all the Tytos?" I asked, somewhat oblivious to the circumstances that had lead up to this alarming disparity.

He looked down at me with that indifferent gaze I had mentioned earlier. "There's little over a hundred Tytos here, young one. It's the same elsewhere, we are a dying species in desperate need of more Tytos to continue our bloodlines. That's why we are here, young one because we are here to address these problems that neither the Guardians or the Pure Ones had wanted to address."

My young mind was oblivious to concepts such as world issues or former organizations in history. I had heard of the Guardians before, but never the Pure Ones. As I stated many times before, I was a very uneducated owl with little to no talents or knowledge. I didn't have the luxury of being told the legends or had the opportunity to read them myself. So coming across this word for the first time, I just didn't realize the significance of it.

"What are the Pure Ones?" I asked seriously, to which he frowned.

"Not us." He answered sternly, "That's all you'll ever need to know, let the name die off as it always should have. They are part of the reason why we're in this mess, to begin with, but . . . you'll learn in the coming nights what we truly stand for."

"Oh . . ." I didn't quite know what to say to that, though, I was already interested in the idea of playing a part in something important for just a species, but an entire genus of owls. "I'm assuming you are a part of a group that wants to help see our species flourish?"

"That's one reason of many, I'm sure you'll come to find out for yourself and want to-"

A screech grabbed our attention, as such a sound is impossible to ignore. It was easy to figure out the kind of owl that had made it: another Tyto, like myself. There were five Tytos taking flight over us, ascending for altitude to escape the windless ravine. Two of them on the inner flanks had those crossbows everyone was always talking about. The rest of them were only armed with battleclaws. The flight lead caught my eye immediately, he was one of the most scarred Barn Owls I had ever seen. Every part of his body had at least one cut on it, it was amazing he was still alive to tell the tale.

Though, I also began to take notice of a trend that owls here seemed to often be wounded in one way or another.

"That's strange, didn't think we had any drills today . . ." Erwin muttered to himself, I quickly took advantage of the situation to ask a couple questions that I had wanted to be answered.

"So I assume that isn't normal?"

"No, it's rather unusual for him to do that without letting us know. He also had two owls from the emergency response group taking off with him — those two with the crossbows — and I don't think he would send them off just on a practice flight. Besides, I saw Ray and Blake in the group, the two of whom are from separate units. So clearly, he must've gathered up whoever he could and took off without telling any of us."

Of course, I was just as confused as anyone else would be about any of this. But I was still curious.

"Who's this 'he' you keep referring to?"

He smiled, "That old fool with all the scars on him. I tell ya, there isn't an owl in the world who comes close to match the level of experience he has."

"How recent are those scars?"

"Long before you were even an egg, young one, probably even before I was born. He fought his battles during completely different times, but he could never get away from it so it seems."

I was interested immediately, but a sudden pain developed on the left foot. It was too noticeable to hide. I yelped in agony.

"Is something wrong?" He'd ask, this time his face showing some concern.

"My foot, it has been bothering me lately, that's why I've been walking so awkwardly." I looked down at it, the swelling was getting worse.

He looked at me skeptically, not convinced. "Your claw just started bothering you at random?"

I paused, I hadn't expected to be challenged so quickly. "Well, um . . . let's just say I had a really bad landing when I arrived here for the first time."

Instantly his face dissipated the suspicions and returned back to that indifferent tone. "Ah, I see. There's nothing to be ashamed of, it's unusual to land here for owls that are so used to living in trees. How about we got to the infirmary and get that checked out, okay?"

He gestured with his wing for me to follow him, and we began walking at once.

"So, Byron, what exactly has brought you here to our remote outpost? It certainly wasn't for any trees to land on." He remarked, though, I don't think he'll be joking once he has heard what I have to say.

"Well, I'm a hireclaw, and I've been paid to be here," I said flatly, though — as one would expect — Erwin was hardly convinced.

He laughed, "You?" He studied me again, "A hireclaw? Sure, and I'm a Bald Eagle."

"You can joke all you want, but that's why I'm here."

"You can't be serious, you're just a kid. Quit trying to make a fool out of me before I turn you down altogether."

"Listen, I have a contract to oblige to in which I must serve you for a set period of time. You can do whatever you want with me, I don't care, but that is why I'm here. I'm not looking for glory, not for serving a purpose or even caring about your cause. I'm just here to honor a contract, if you really don't think I'm up to the task, put me in the reserves then. But I must serve, there's no way around it."

He seemed to consider what I said for a moment, before dropping it all together for the time being.

"I'll think about what you had said and I'll get back to you. Let's go ahead and get your claw fixed up, and I'll fill you in on what you need to know if you wish to serve with us."

And so, we made our way uneasily to the infirmary. Erwin seemed to have a new perspective towards me after my little declaration.

 **Later . . .**

As it turned out, no serious injuries were reported on my two aching talons. However, it was recommended I don't walk on it too much just in case there was something wrong with it. I was somewhat relieved and discouraged at the same time, I wondered what those owls thought of me having hurt my talons from what they assumed to be a "hard landing". Time will tell, however, if this will come to hurt me in the long run.

As you may have noticed, dear reader (should you be there), I'm trying to use both past and present tenses and wording to tell this in a particular kind of fashion that I find suitable in explaining my experience. It would be boring to just throw all the details at once, but it would be too confusing to just ignore the benefits of hindsight.

With the late daylight transiting over to late night, I was directed to return to my quarters as soon as possible until they figured out what to do with me. If Erwin decided he had a use for me, I would go through evaluations with some of the other cadet members to see what I was capable of. If not, I would be let go of, and I didn't want to think about what would happen to me then.

By now, that group of Tytos that had flown to the east had finally returned. Of course, I didn't see it myself, but it was mentioned by Erwin. The exact details of what they were up to were unknown to me, though, Erwin's expression was slightly different when he had mentioned it. Something bad must've happened, it just had to be. But for now, all I could do was go along with it, unsure of what was to happen.

But as I returned to my chamber to ready up for my next long day with no sleep. I just couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched...


	14. Power Play

**A/N: Chapter as promised, three days before the deadline. I can't quite tell if the bonus is larger than the chapter itself, but they are roughly similarly sized. I'm somewhat curious as to what to do with it, but for now, I'll keep it organized just like how I'm doing it now. As for future plans, I'm uncertain. I won't any guarantees I can't keep, but I'll consider working both on this and my newest project should the opportunity present itself. So, yeah, I think I'm going to go to bed. Long day tomorrow like the rest of you lads, eh? Take care of yourselves and enjoy.**

* * *

" _Quickness is the essence of the war."_

~ Sun Tzu

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen**

 _Power Play_

There was a calming silence during that short span of time for Aedan. Everything just seemed to evaporate before him, the war, the enemy, the forest. He finally felt at peace with himself. Almost accepting some predetermined fate that was undoubtedly waiting for him. All his concerns vanished, and his regard for anything else — made absent. His eyes remained closed during the entire ordeal, having no need to see what comes about of him.

This period of tranquility, however, was short-lived. As the seconds dragged onwards, it became abundantly clear to Aedan that nothing went as expected. The only sensation he felt was the mild brush of air over his entire body as he flew onwards.

But then, there was a sharp shriek from behind him. Aedan cringed at the sound. His eyes no longer wished to hide from the circumstances, and he let them flutter open. An almost relieving, yet saddening sight became apparent to Aedan.

As it would turn out, it just wasn't his time yet, and Glaux must've offered him a second chance.

The Snowy Owl that had previously been trying to kill Aedan was now rapidly falling out of the sky, with bolts struck on several parts of its body. The sound of the crossbow firing wasn't from the Snowy Owl as Aedan had first imaged, but indeed from a separate source, a source that has miraculously saved him.

Aedan flapped his wings several times and leveled off, looking for his savior. He would not be displeased.

A certain Brown Fish Owl formed up near his port wing, an individual Aedan had not expected to be here.

"You won't last long if you don't react in time," Jedrek scolded, though he himself was quite relieved Aedan was alright.

"It's hard to think clearly when you got bolts flying right over your head," Aedan argued, though it was safe to say he hadn't been thinking clearly since the start of the engagement. He just wasn't conditioned enough for it.

Jedrek wanted to press the issue, but circumstances obviously prevented it.

"I think for now it's best we reach a higher altitude, let's regroup with the others, eh?"

The two of them banked upwards and power stroked until they got to their vantage point. The battle between the two other units seemed to die down a little but was still in full swing.

With proper leadership acquired and all of them regrouped, it was easy to establish that all of them were in good in shape. Lack of bolts, however, would be a significant hindrance to their present ability to fight. But with all of them still alive and well, they still had some options to work with. Jedrek began to lay out their current set of plans for the time being.

"Well, I got some good news and some bad news," Jedrek glanced around towards the three of them, but his gaze mostly fell onto Aedan.

"The good news is that we will be relieved by another unit very shortly, allowing us to return to our base and get reorganized." There were some sighs of relief, although they've only been in combat for roughly a couple minutes, they had seen enough to become weary of it altogether.

"The bad news, however, is that until help arrives we must maintain our presence over the battlefield." Despite the context of the statement, Jedrek hardly seemed bothered by it. This directly contrasted the somewhat more anxious trio who were now gravely concerned about their present capabilities.

"But sir," Gershom objected, "we lack enough bolts to hold our own, we must at least get resupplied and then return-"

"Can't do it," Jedrek answered simply, "if we leave, many more soldiers will die, we just have to accept the possibility that we may be in a bad spot should the enemy wise up to our present disadvantages."

And so, despite the well-justified fears of another engagement, the group of four maintained their position over the main battle, helpless to do anything for the friendly Ambalian troops down below.

Their presence did have a positive impact, though, much to Aedan's surprise. By now, their appearance in the battle has gathered the hostiles' attention, and they could not commit all of their troops into battle in fear that Aedan's group circling above them would catch them by surprise. It also made the enemy soldiers more cautious, with their heads always glancing upwards towards them.

So not only could the enemy not act on any mistake the Ambalian soldiers made but now they had to keep several soldiers on the lookout just in case Aedan's group decided to try and sneak up on them. Effectively, Jedrek's flight of four with little to no bolts left has made a noticeable impact on the skirmish at large. Something that in the end would make Aedan feel better once the night was over.

Despite these outcomes, it was still a dire situation to be in. The ploy had its drawbacks. if the enemy gets reinforced by another hunter unit, Aedan and his comrades would have to retreat at once — and that's only assuming they manage to spot them early enough to allow such a retreat in the first place. Should the enemy catch them by surprise, their ability to retreat safely would be reduced to a point where fighting to the bitter end would be preferable.

Fortunately, for the rest of the battle, there was little additional activity for the most part. At the very least, it seemed that way to Aedan who was lost in his own thoughts. He just wasn't "there" for the rest of the incident; the details of all of it would simply slip through his mind. Though after a couple of minutes — or an hour for all Aedan could know — Jedrek finally gave the order to depart, and they left without another thought. The skirmish itself by that timed had run out of steam, and the two sides silently conceded the arena — for now.

By the time they had already landed, only then was Aedan coming to his senses. He had missed just about everything said during their flight back. Though, they were coincidentally given the time off to rest and refit as everyone tried to figure out exactly what in Hagsmire was going on. Aedan didn't mind the break, though, except for the fact they were to remain on alert at all times. That part of the order he somewhat shrugged off, he was too distracted by other things to fret over the possibility of another mission.

* * *

For the rest of the night, and early into the day, Aedan zoned out completely. His mind could not tear away from the issue that plagued him relentlessly. It wasn't his near-death experience that shattered him, it was the death of that other Spotted Owl that he had killed that harassed his conscience so badly.

 _That owl is gone because of me._ Aedan grieved. It was impossible for him to justify its death — no, it wasn't just death, it was cold-blooded murder, Aedan declared to himself.

The common excuse used by soldiers to justify killing would be something along the lines of "it's either him or me" or, "it's the right thing to do". But Aedan knew none of that means squat. It was only a delusion to escape the reality of the damage they had done not only to the other but to anyone in relation to that owl. The horrors of war could not be written off so easily as the legends had so enthusiastically done.

It became even harder for Aedan to think about as he now realized that the enemy Spotted Owl likely had nothing personal against the Ambalians. Likely, since it was its first combat sortie, he was dragged along into the fray because the Ambalians had gotten involved in the Silverveilian Civil War. Maybe, there was always the slim chance that the other organization thought what the Ambalians were doing was a direct act of hostilities towards their group, and decided to respond with an attack of their own. That Spotted Owl was doing nothing but trying to survive, much like Aedan himself was doing, that enemy would likely be just as traumatized as Aedan should he have lived to that point.

Aedan pressed his wings to his face, unable to let go of what he has done.

 _How does an owl live with that? Killing another without even the slightest of regret? How in the world did Soren in the legends deal with it?_

Aedan's thoughts raced over to the legends he had been so eager to read. He recalls how the small group Soren had created had encountered several owls from St. Aegolius and fought them off successfully with the help of the two eagles from Ambala. Soren demonstrated no regret, no remorse for killing one of them — with his talons of all things! Yet he would go on living, as usual, his mind not looming at what he was capable of doing to another owl.

Soren must've believed that killing that one owl was justified, somehow evaluating that that owl he had killed was not equivocal on a moral level. That by killing that owl, he had somehow done something good.

But what has Aedan done right by killing this young, nearly innocent Spotted Owl? What proof does he have that this owl does not equate to his own moral position? What even was their enemy fighting for? There was no way they were just hireclaws and criminals, this owl was too young to be either thing. He could've been conscripted, but how does that change anything? No matter how Aedan wanted to look at it, this owl died too early and too discriminately to be considered a "bad" owl.

 _That's just the problem,_ Aedan realized, _the legends always portray the wars as a matter of good and bad; the righteous against the unjust. But never owl against owl, Spotted Owl against Spotted Owl, youngling against youngling. How can such a conflict be justified to begin with?_

Aedan's thoughts quickly shifted over to all the owls that had perished over the northwestern-most portion of Ambala. Did any of them know what they were fighting for? What were they dying for? More importantly, who was in the right here, or was it no one?

Until the motives of the unknown enemy are revealed, Aedan could never be sure of himself or the Ambalians. His first taste for combat would hardly ever be forgotten, and he could only try and ignore the obvious flaws in his own logic for the time being.

Despite these distractions, not everything was missed by Aedan, and in first hours since he has returned to his de facto home, he had learned much in the present ongoing situation.

The battle Aedan had partaken in was only one of many instances of fighting. There were at least a dozen additional points of engagement at varying times and locations across the entirety of Ambala's northern and western border. Most had mixed results, others were more troubling . . . with loss of territory and the complete destruction of entire combat units. In particular, the Western Front bordering the Canyonlands yielded more losses than victories and vice versa for the Northern Front.

In short, this was an opposing army they were dealing with of similar capabilities, but they did not have an overwhelming advantage like they did against Silverveil should they happen to be the exact same force.

In the hours that have proceeded the first encounter in Northern Ambala, two additional squadrons of roughly twenty fours owls each have been transferred and rebased to Pelli's Hilltop. The region is considered to be a vital one for combat operations in this theatre, with the higher elevation giving departing squadrons a superior advantage when flying out to the combat zone. To lose Pelli's Hilltop would mean losing control over most of the northwestern portion of Ambala. For this reason, it was essential the base be reinforced, and defenses were made in preparation for the inevitable assault.

While it was unlikely the enemy would send small infiltration teams to try and occupy the base while most of the hunters were on the ground or elsewhere, the possibility was considered and most of the quartered trees were given some form of protection in the form of talon-operated crossbows. Not enough to stop a full-fledged onslaught, it would be enough to deter two or three attackers from trying to use their melee advantage and corner the grounded hunters into the hollows.

In terms of supply, the region had a surplus of crossbows (recovered from the loss members of Jedrek's squadron) and a good maintenance group arriving with one of the new squadrons. Bolts were of more concern, however, as they only had enough for approximately three sorties should only one full squadron engage in operations. Their reserves were otherwise limited to only one sortie should every owl partake in a operation, meaning their current combat capability was severely limited. Resupply was questionable at this point, but it would most certainly come by early next night.

Everything else could only be guessed or speculated. Soldiers began to refer to the enemy group as the _Shadow Army_ or the _Army of the Shadow Forest_. Others called them rebels or simply didn't refer to them at all, otherwise just citing them as the next organization trying to be the "next great power". Other things such as the current trend of the war, what the enemy would do next, and if they would get reinforcements anytime soon we're all questions that could not simply be answered. It became obvious to Aedan that this war was not like the ones in the legends, where there would be some kind of decisive victory for one side that determines the fate of the rest of the conflict. The fighting he had just been through seems . . . pointless, insignificant, and unnecessarily costly.

Even if defending arbitrary borders was worth the sacrifice to those soldiers, it certainly does owlkind no good in the long run.

Aedan began to think of ways to solve the conflict without having to kill another soul again, several ideas instantly popped in his mind, but there was no time to further explore them as the entire area entered into a frenzy— an enemy raiding group had been spotted only minutes out.

Aedan quickly got to his station to await his orders. Though during that time, he couldn't help but think about the ideas he had thought about earlier.

 _After this,_ he resolved, _I'm going to look for help anywhere I can find it, and I know just the people who can provide it for me._

* * *

The area was in a panic, while everyone saw the attack coming, no one was mentally prepared for it. The enemy was a hunter squadron — roughly about twenty owls in size — though they were outnumbered two to one compared to the base, catching most of the Ambalians on the ground played into their favor.

Ambalians that were already airborne tried to thwart the hostile insertion, attempting to keep them away from the main take-off areas. However, it was too no avail, and the enemy unit eventually did press their way into the Ambalian airspace.

Several owls from one of the new squadrons stationed at Pelli's Hilltop had already tried taking off in the climax of the battle, only to be struck down almost immediately by an ever observant enemy.

So effectively, Aedan and his group were stuck on the ground for the time being until something clever was thought up. But Jedrek would've kept them on the ground even if such a problem didn't exist, there was a more thoughtful reason for keeping them in reserve.

Jedrek didn't need much information to already know what the enemy was up to.

"This assault force is way too small to occupy this region," he stated with certainty, there wasn't a shed of doubt in his voice about that statement.

"I think they are trying to stall us — keep us distracted — I can tell due to their present lack of coordination. They must be expecting someone else to arrive, perhaps additional reinforcements to finish us off . . . but, given how they haven't arrived yet, I know exactly where they would be coming from, and where we can fly to intercept them."

Aedan didn't even bother trying to wrap his head around what Jedrek was saying. Military affairs just made his head spend half of the time.

With that being said, Aedan had no reason to object to the plan, and they followed Jedrek closely. Instead of pouncing into the fray above, they immediately descended just shy of the ground, the enemy hadn't blinked an eye towards them, and they avoided contact until they got to "the place" Jedrek had referred to.

It turned out to be one one of the flatter portions of the region, which made low flying through there perfect if one wishes to avoid detection. However, even with the terrain mask, it hardly blocked the wind. And the present wind direction disfavors the attackers likely coming through that area.

This explained how Jedrek immediately knew where and what the enemy was up to, and demonstrates that gambling with the environment can cost the battle just as easily as anything else concerning the principles of warfare.

However, Aedan hadn't expected to uncover what the enemies intentions were with the region. Upon seeing the hostile group, however, it became abundantly clear.

"Coal carriers," Jedrek announced nonchalantly, "seems that rather than capturing our outpost, they wanted to destroy it outright."

Aedan was stunned. "They wanted to burn it to the ground? Why? Don't they know many innocent owls live in hollows all across the region?"

Damien interjected, "That doesn't matter to them Aedan, they just want to get through us and be done with it, we'd be the same way."

Aedan was grimaced by the words, but he knew that what Damien had said was true.

There was no additional action following the observations. When they had risen above the treeline to get a better look at what else the half-dozen group of coal carriers comprised of, the enemy group had immediately turned tail and retreated. Knowing that they were incapable of dealing with a flight of hunters without additional support.

While it was seen as a preferable alternative to having the entire region up in flames, Damien secretly yearned to have managed to pick them off. However, Jedrek was insistent about avoiding the engagement.

"Wasting bolts on some helpless owl just carrying coals is not worth it, repelling them back is all that needs to be done."

By the time they had returned, the battle was over. The enemy retreated to count their dead and fight another night. It was yet another successful repulsion for the Ambalians, but it could hardly be considered a victory. The loss of slightly over a half-dozen owls only came to reveal what would come to be the everlasting nature of this war.

Still, it has only been slightly less than a full day after the start of hostilities, and the enemy's entire war strategy so far has been an unrelenting assault on every position the Ambalians had neighboring to The Barrens and The Canyonlands. To a large extent, if their goal was to conquer Ambala and its inhabitants than they had failed miserably.

However, as Aedan began his landing approach, he couldn't but think about how drastically different the outcomes were so far. Silverveil was overrun very quickly, while Ambala hardly took a scratch, by the end of the next day, Ambala's conscripts would be mobilized, and most forces would be allocated to their newly assigned positions.

So if the enemy had come here hoping for a victory with an attack like that, then they had another thing coming.

Still, Aedan knew he was too optimistic, especially as he finally settled down to sleep.

Given how the raid happened during daytime, he was forced to sleep during the earlier hours of nighttime, and from then he would likely go about to meet up with some old individuals he needed to see.

Convincing Jedrek shouldn't be that hard, Jedrek was aware of Aedan's now recently developed close ties with the owl known as "Eglantine" and the idea of requesting for Guardian support wasn't a far-fetched one either.

Despite the set plans and recent successes, Aedan couldn't sleep. He couldn't help but stare out of the hollow, wherein the regions beyond him the sky seemed to catch on fire in a blaze of glory.

However, Aedan knew it wasn't the sky that was on fire.

* * *

-(-)-

 ***Bonus***

* * *

 **?**

 _Unknown_

Evaluations/A New Friend

Day 3-4

Unsurprisingly, the moment I woke up the next night I was accepted into the appraisal program, which is often considered to be one of the most important tests a Tyto will have to take if they ever wish to serve in a good position here.

It hardly was a surprise, but I can secretly tell Erwin was not happy about my acceptance into it. Though, he hardly let it get to the better of him, which I don't blame him for. Why should he have to care about some young, demanding Barn Owl that is insisting he is a hireclaw so he can fight? I know for certain I wouldn't, but his indifference towards me best demonstrates how most others would view me; well, until later of course.

I spent most of my third night here doing evaluations, almost sixteen full hours of activities and test just to see where my skills were, and if I had anything to offer to these owls. Topics varied, some were knowledge-based, such as navigation and weather interpretation; other tests were physical, such as melee combat and flight endurance.

It should come as no surprise that in all these tests I hardly made a favorable impression. One of the most humiliating of which was the claw-striking exercise to see how much penetration one could achieve with their bare talons. The results were simply pathetic, and I didn't even need to think that for myself, as the Tyto that was evaluating me had already come to that conclusion the moment I made my approach towards the dummy target — a recently killed-off crow (yes, yes, I know . . . I think the thoughts about it distracted me quite severely, but I don't think that was much of an excuse at the time).

"Oh come on boy!" The observing Lesser Sooty Owl had whinged, always finding something to complain about in my posture and approach.

This was my third attempt at trying to demonstrate to the observer that I can perform a "powerful thrust" with my claws towards a decaying corpse. It was a sickening practice, but it got the point across even to a young mind like me: fighting talon-to-talon was not a clean experience. For me, it was just too difficult to accept that fact.

This is also ignoring the fact that my left claw was still somewhat injured, but I learned to get over it quickly. Exhibiting weakness would hardly help me in this situation. Accepting that pain was temporary was the only remedy I had to get through it.

As one can tell, I wasn't exactly thrilled about it, but I knew questioning the exercise also would yield very little. As I had witnessed before.

An older Barn Owl that had gone before me had asked exactly why they were doing this act towards a corpse, to which the observer had demeaned in the worst possible tones.

"If your job is to kill, then you'll be doing plenty of this. You'll never surely know if they're alive or dead, so you got to be prepared to strike even corpses, so get used to it."

The idea of spending every night killing other owls and mutilating corpses was far from an encouraging thought. But I knew if I didn't impress the higher-ups, then that would be all I would be doing right now — or I would've been dead by the first battle, simple as that.

By the time that Sooty Owl had enough of my "worrying" attempts against that crow corpse and dismissed me immediately. The body was already starting to become disfigured beyond recognition. The stench was actually worse than the sight of it, and truthfully I think that Sooty just kept me around not because he actually wanted to see me do better, but so I could actually smell what a single corpse alone could produce. Perhaps doing so to warn me off of this quest I've endeavored upon, or maybe just to mess with me and destroy my youthfulness.

Whatever his goals with me may have been, it had worked. I would never in my right mind want to be around a body in such a way willingly. The rotting oder never seemed to go away for the rest of that night, reminding me constantly of what I'd be facing if I went down this path.

However, I resolved to keep going, and I think that was where the Sooty Owl had failed to account for. My determination and resolve were unquenchable and I knew I had to get through this, no matter what.

But even with the best of my efforts, I was still no match for the competition.

Trials like these weren't just compared to other recruits, I was compared directly to every other Tyto assigned to these units. Some of whom had years of experience and training, who regarded me as one would expect: a nobody, someone who couldn't possibly get in their way. Instead, they squabbled with each other, with those who more directly challenged their skills.

Competition, needless to say, was fierce, but I'll get into why it was once the topic becomes relevant.

Aside from that, it was an exhausting and unavailing experience. The only thing I could be seen useful for is being an additional body at the enemy for them to chop up. I'd be about as useful as that crow I had struck earlier, that's how things truly looked for me at the time, to be honest.

Oh, and this enemy I keep referring to? Well, we weren't at war yet, but let's just say I had a strong feeling in my gizzard that we would be very soon. And, in a way, most of these Tytos were always expecting to be at war, they were meant for it.

A topic to be elaborated upon for another time. Let's move on.

Looking back upon it, most of these evaluations do not stimulate any fond memories of mine at the moment. There was, however, one particular case I must make mention to.

The late-night hours were just as busy as the earlier instances of time. By then, I was growing more used to the landscape of the rocky fortress, but this evaluation would put my developing knowledge to the test. It was a very simple but dangerous task.

I had to try and keep up with the "instructor" by flying through the narrow ravines. Simple enough from the sounds of it. But we would be flying at high speeds, where our reaction time would prove to the of utmost importance. One wrong move could lead to your wing grazing against the side of the ravine — the worst that could happen from such a mistake would be a severe wing dislocation, which means you'll have a pretty solid greeting with the surface below. Suffice it to say, it was not a task that could be accomplished without taking a risk.

That was when I met _him_ , an individual I would later come to develop a fond friendship with. Though, at the time, he appeared to be nothing more than another somewhat stuck-up instructor that didn't really care about the new guy. It was hard to say if he truly did think this way towards me, but I knew for certain he didn't treat me any differently than the previous owl.

Still, there had to be at least some regard, given the nature of this test and its possible outcomes.

Our flight began very casually, we established our positions and slowly gathered speed. Within seconds it turned into a wild pursuit, I latched on close to him and stayed there, imitating his every move. His wing posture became a good focus point to me, it allowed me to better navigate the gaps with only a marginal room for error.

This Tyto was well versed in flying through enclosed spaces where the wind never reaches. It was, ironically, a natural attributed given to his particular kind of species. Being a Masked Owl, they were experts in such conditions, almost the perfect owl species for the terrain of the canyonlands.

As I would later learn, Masked Owls were utilized extensively during the Pure Ones' crusade against St. Aegolius (which, at the time I was unaware of). Furthermore, it was mentioned in the legends that an owl by the name of Soren had flown against a Pure One Masked Owl in these very ravines I was flying in now. It came as no surprise to later find out that the Masked Owls were commonly referred to as Cave Owls. Which, needless to say, was a fitting name for their attributes.

It was indeed difficult to keep up with the skilled flyer, he knew this section of the ravine quite well in contrast to me who knew very little. It was a vacant area, typically only used for training and exercises. There were many parts of the canyonlands like that, though there was the occasional forge inside the inner parts of certain caves located in the region. Only the main portion of the canyons had any inhabitants, which demonstrates just how concentrated we were.

Every turn had to be done steeper as time went on. Flight corrections had to be done within seconds to adjust for even the smallest of changes. Every feather on my wings was intricately used to achieve desired results, and so far I was doing well. It turned out to be far easier than I had first thought, it only required some dedication and focus to accomplish.

However, I was caught by surprise by what my instructor did next.

I can't exactly explain how he did it, but it looked almost as if he skimmed as close as he could on the left wall and then banked sharply to the right, managing to turn completely around and fly the way we came. I was too transfixed by him to realize why he had done so.

Looking ahead of me, the wall of the ravine seemed to close in towards me — it only took me a moment to realize what was happening.

At roughly the same time, I reacted by pulling straight up as fast as possible just before I collided with the rough surface. It proved to be successful, thanks to a variety of factors. One thing I took note of immediately was my usage of the alula — a portion of feathers used for slow-speed control and landing. It was the little things that counted.

By the time I was flying upwards, I was grazing the wall with only about an inch of separation, too little to actually flap my wings. I quickly ran out of speed, banked over, and flew back towards the Masked Owl who had watched the entire maneuver.

For the first time, he decided to compliment me on the performance. "Good reactions, you were very well composed for your first flight through these crevices."

In reality, this wasn't the first time I had flown through these ravines, but for the most part that was a true statement.

I didn't really exchange much dialogue with him, but he did offer a brief smile towards me. I don't know if he truly meant what he said, but he was at least somewhat impressed with the fact I managed to make a clean response despite my tender age. I still wonder to this day if that had any impact on the impression I gave off.

But as I would come to find out, how I impressed this owl mattered little to the grand scheme of things.

The following night, I awoke in anticipation of our assignment scheduling — which would mark the conclusion to our evaluations. It was a brief period of time where the leaders of each unit would discuss and ultimately determine which Tyto should be advanced, demoted, or assigned. For me, these owls would have to decide on what unit I should start out with. Given their lack of knowledge, I would imagine there to be a lot of uncertainty in the decision-making process.

The area we were to rally at was yet another unremarkable vacant ravine with little to no sign of life. Roughly a hundred Tytos quickly filed in over the course of an hour. The leaders seemed to assemble at one portion of the area, with everyone else gathered at the other.

I stood alone for the duration of the event. I wasn't there to make friends, nor was I there to figure out exactly what was going on. But through an observant ear, I managed to put together some helpful information.

There were three units, in particular, everyone were talking about. Unit D, or derogatorily called the _Delinquents_ was the unspecialized unit filled with owls that do not have any skills to provide for the more advance units. They are often considered a reservist force due to the nature of the Tytos living here (which will be explained later). Most Tytos seeking to serve started out at this position until they gained a desirable trait, some would stay here until the very end of their careers.

Unit C, or sometimes joked as the _Chawlets_ were a smaller section of Tytos that had some form of skill or knowledge above the average owl but weren't any better at combat. They filled a more specialized, non-combat roles, such as weather interpretation and healing. It was a more desirable unit to be in, but not for those seeking glory.

Unit B, however, is a unit one only gets into if they're special. They are arguably one of the most skilled and combat effective squadrons on the entire continent, surpassing even the Guardians in certain categories. Only the best get into this unit, typically those who have actual combat experience or have very impressionable flight potential.

They are sometimes referred to as the _Bashers_ in reference to their origins. Though, throughout their existence, they will garner several different names in recognition of their abilities.

That competition I had mentioned earlier were all striving to get accepted into Unit B at all cost. To be a Basher was about as exciting as being a Guardian of Ga'Hoole, it required absolute servitude and commitment to be apart of such a formation. Even for those who were ready for it, it was not for them to decide.

The opportunity still presented itself, however, as the Bashers were down two owls. One of which, as word had it, had retired and ended its career abruptly. The other was more controversial . . . as the Tyto had been one of the four commanders of the Basher unit.

It wasn't quite known what had happened, but supposedly the Tyto had disappeared without warning, which was a strange occurrence apparently. As most owls would inform their unit of their departure, even if they were planning to live elsewhere. Rumors were circulated all throughout the event, but I hardly paid attention to them.

The significance of this has to do with the fact that these four — now three — commanders were responsible for all the assignments of each owl into new units. So in the end, it would matter little what the instructors think of the owl, what it really comes down to is what these commanders think of you.

They weren't some inexperienced rybs either, they were all battle-hardened Tytos of different backgrounds and philosophies. It was almost remarkable that at one point, the Bashers had commanders that could cover every subject. That possibility has vanished, however, with the disappearance of the aforementioned owl.

That owl had been from the Northern Kingdoms, had taught the unit Krakish, and offered several other training practices from its experiences in the Glauxspeed division. I could never really find out what else made this owl special, but it was a sad disappearance for them, that was for certain.

One owl I had already met, Erwin, was ironically enough also a commander of this elite formation. Unlike his counterparts, he was born just shy of The War of the Ember. He served in the original Bashers unit of the Kingdom of Tyto with his mentor, before being forced to flee to avoid persecution. He now is considered a stable example of a Tyto who has been wrongfully convicted by the Guardians as a Pure One sympathizer. Since then, he now is an avid supporter for the Tyto liberation movement.

Another Barn Owl commander, a Sooty Owl, was actually formerly a Guardian of Ga'Hoole. His skills in weather interpretation and colliering makes him a useful asset for training and flying through rough conditions. His knowledge of the Guardian tactics and training practices were also well regarded. Other than that, he was a quiet owl who said little and would continue to remain that way throughout his career here.

The last of the commanders was that scarred Tyto alba whose very appearance showed nothing but raw experience and history. Of all the Tytos, or even all the owls of this army, there was no one more infamous than him. Rumors were all owls had to imagine his legacy, the legacy of a legend. Some say he was a rebel against the Pure Ones during the times of the legends, other say he was one of the most successful hireclaws of the Southern Kingdoms. There were a few who believed he fought alongside the heroes known as Soren and Coryn along with the rest of the Guardians during the final battles against Nyra and her Pure Ones.

Others, more sternly believe the possibility that he was, in fact, a Pure One himself that managed to live through it all. No one could possibly know, as he would never talk about his past. To ask such a question was also seen as highly disrespect, as not all Tytos were Pure Ones back in those days. Still, the possibility was there, and many marveled at the fact.

There was much more I could've dissected from the crowd had it not been for the sudden announcement. Introductions were brief and the names of newly assigned or transfer owls filled the air from that one Sooty Owl that had instructed me to attack a lifeless crow. I hadn't been paying attention to the names in detail, but it was a modest list. There were some sighs of relief or clamouring of excitement. These owls were being assigned to Unit C, and as I had predicted, I was not to be among them. I think my experience here so far has made that quite clear.

When owls assigned to Unit D were announced, I waited silently for my name to be heard. But alarmingly it never came. The possibility that I had been rejected from service entirely was indeed possible. To be rejected would be humiliating, but I did have the excuse that I was too young for this kind of affairs anyhow. I didn't know how to feel about it at the time, but my gizzard wasn't quite ready to hear what was coming next.

"The two replacements required for Unit B has been determined after much consideration. The named owls will integrate into the unit effective immediately after the announcement. The two replacements are Gowyr and Byron."

I hadn't the slightest idea what I was thinking when that happened, my gizzard had grew still. My wings seemed to lock up, in some kind of yeep-ish state. I wouldn't be able to see the completely dumbfounded and hideous glares of my counterparts who had worked all their lives to get to the occupation I just stole from then. I never would hear or see the furious rantings of Erwin and his utter disapproval of my now acquired position. Even the announcer, who knew little of the owls behind the names, seemed question himself once he realized that I was one of the owls that had been named.

It would not matter as to what happened next, as I had lost consciousness before I could bear to witness it. A sudden faint was my first response to the announcement, I cared little about what followed. I believe my last thought before blacking out was:

 _What have I gotten myself into?_

 **Sometimes later . . . early daylight (speculative)**

When I finally came about, I was in a different hollow than the previous one I had resided in. It was not alone, however, as that Masked Owl that had been my instructor in the ravine flight was sprawled out in his own nest, obvious to the fact I had recovered from my earlier collapse.

It took me a moment to reorient myself, but when I finally did I decided to make my presence known to this owl and ask what I was wondering to know.

"Where am I and who are you? Have we already met?" The owl rapidly twisted his head towards me, before blinking. It took him a moment to realize it was me speaking. Upon the realization, he introduced himself.

"Indeed we have, not formally of course. I'm the other owl that had been assigned to the Bashers, Gowyr. We're sharing a hollow for now since we are now officially apart of the unit."

The memory of the announcement flooded back into my mind all at once. He seemed to notice my distress and tried to calm me down before I got riled up.

"Relax pal, you'll be just fine, I'm sure they had a very good reason to chose you over the others."

I still couldn't comprehend the decision, but I decided to ask Gowyr for comparison. "Why do you think you got in over the others then?"

He churred, "Oh, I did the smart thing, went to the Gateway to Hoole for a couple of moons. Add a year of training here in the mix and I think I will be a fine addition to the unit."

He looked at me before continuing.

"As for you, I don't know. It's best not to worry about it, all you need to do is put all of your energy into the training. I'll help you every step of the way."

I was somewhat reassured by the statement despite the lack of substantiation. It was a baseless claim, but a well-meaning one. For a young owl, I didn't have many to look up to, but now I've found the one. An older, experience, and talent Masked Owl who didn't seem at all bothered by me and my pestering. In fact, I think he enjoyed the attention I was giving him, he always must've wanted to be a mentor.

I would come to find out that Gowyr actually has a notable heritage. His mother, Gwynneth, was the daughter of a Rogue Smith known as Gwyndor. Gwyndor was one of the few important characters to be mentioned in the legends during the times of Coryn, but he ultimately would perish just after the final battle against the Pure Ones. Gowyr takes this reputation to heart and gizzard, and has dedicated himself to be just like his grandfather — an unsung hero. If there was any good owls I could say I've served with, he was one of them.

It was impossible for me to avoid trying to uncover more about this place. I wanted to know what _he_ was serving this place for, and why he wouldn't just stay at the Gateway to Hoole and live out the rest of his life in luxury.

He responded, "Because unlike the Guardians, we intend on solving the world's problems, not perpetuating it. Owls of S'yrthghar should be allowed to be free and independent regardless of ideology and background. I serve not because I want to attack the Guardians, but because I want to defend these freedoms from those who wish to undermine it. I fight for the Tytos because we must ensure the survival of our species, and there is no evil in doing so. I will not be ridiculed by the Guardians as a Pure One for seeking to find a solution to a very real problem. Killing extremist Tytos in droves does nothing to help our situation, and until the Guardians realize that, we are — and always will be — their enemy."


	15. Unsanctioned Mediation

**A/N: A short chapter, mainly due to the lack of a bonus (let's just assume Bryon had a 'sick' day). I'm undecided if I should add a bonus to remedy that in a separate chapter or just skip it entirely. In any case, it will be resumed in the next real chapter as normal. In today's chapter, we'll be looking through the perspective of Aedan's mind as we always do, and it'll be as unanswered as you expect! But it should still prove to be interesting, it'll all come together soon.**

 **This may be the last update I have in awhile, sadly. The only reason I posted it was because it was already somewhat complete and could serve as a good stopgap chapter for the time being.**

 **As for reviews, I forgot to mention that the last chapter may prove to be difficult for people to review (due to it being used for another entry before), but regardless, it's quite alright.**

 **The re-canonization project may take a little bit, as you may have noticed. I'm undecided about how to proceed with it. I could just read through the parts of the series the most relevant to the section I'm writing in and work from there (like with "The Others" I just look for mentionings in the series and use it to help work on that particular section). Whatever I come up with, that too may take a little while to make, given what I had mentioned earlier.**

 **I guess one thing I could try and offer up is a parody idea I had. Basically, it's "what would happen if some of the most distinguishable people on this archive were thrown into the plot of the Ga'Hoole?". As you can tell, it isn't meant to be serious and is more so a parody towards all the "Other-insertions" based stories. Of course, it would still have a plot and everything. Probably a dumb idea, but figured to throw that out there.**

 **But, yeah, I apologize in advance if I did something wrong. There are some of you I've forgotten to reply to and others who are somewhat annoyed at the moment. As always, don't be afraid to give your honest opinion about anything. Or don't, no reader should be forced to review or do anything of the sort.**

 **I think that's all I'll add. Sorry if I don't seem as enthusiastic as I usually do, just life isn't going my way at the present moment.**

* * *

" _Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things."_

~ Isaac Newton

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen**

 _Unsanctioned Mediation_

Aedan wasted no time to set his plans into motion. The very second he had gotten up he was conversing with Jedrek about the proposal he had in mind. The sheer resolve Aedan demonstrated on the idea was quite enough to convince Jedrek to relieve Aedan of his duties temporarily for as long the task required.

Further capitalizing on this, he suggested that having several days would be enough to efficiently handle the matter. Instead, Jedrek offered four, and the two immediately concluded the discussion in agreement. Aedan would seek an audience with the Guardian emissary, Eglantine, and request the Guardians of Ga'Hoole to intervene on their behalf now that hostilities had broken out between the Kingdom of Ambala and this mysterious army.

Despite the conditions, Aedan wasn't exactly sold on just that meeting, however, and he secretly had other plans in mind that he failed to share with his superior. One such meeting was to take place in an all too familiar hollow near his former birthplace. There Aedan sought out an old friend of his to discuss matters he found concerning and in need of guidance. It would be a designated waypoint before setting out to meet the Guardian located at the Second Great Tree.

He still didn't pay too much attention to the prospect that this elusive owl could prove to be more harmful to his efforts than beneficial; but, to this point, he just yearned for answers. Any answers in his mind were better than none. Even if meeting her wasn't the wisest, it was still a far safer option than trying to establish a dialogue with the actual enemy.

Setting out as soon as he had finished his talk, Aedan would manage to catch a glimpse at the carnage from down below while maintaining a careful focus on his own surroundings.

Many owls that had once resided on the border were now fleeing inland, away from the raging fires and corpse-ridden battlefields that remained right outside of their hollows. Leaving in packs, many soldiers that weren't already assigned to combat duties were circling over these migrating groups, ensuring first and foremost that no enemy would dare be able to touch them, but also looking for any suspicious individuals within the groups.

It wasn't a stretch to say that anyone could be the enemy, especially from an enemy force that refused to paint themselves with any recognizable markings. The soldiers flying top cover knew this just as well as Aedan did, or anyone else for that matter.

Aedan eventually caught sight of a sizeable forest fire and within minutes was flying overhead of it, gliding on its intense thermals as he proceeded to his destination.

The fire had been fought all day and night by owls armed only with makeshift containers and appropriated coal buckets filled with water. Their efforts had prevented the fire from spreading, but they could not hope to extinguish it all on their own accord without outside help. The parts caught in the inferno will be burned away over time, the patches of treeless land will scar the region for moons to come. Much like a deep wound, it will remain a constant reminder of the war, and the battles yet to be fought.

The noble Ambalians fighting the fire growled in silent dismay as a group of Guardian colliers indulge themselves in the coal-rich environment, flying in and out of it with little to no regard over the damage it has caused and the owls it had displaced. If the enemy wasn't already eager to kill Guardians, then the Ambalians would've gladly like to enjoy the satisfaction. However, even if they wanted to, doing so would yield little and only make things worse than they already are.

So the Ambalians kept their protest to themselves, hoping that their patience will ultimately pay off. If that failed, then it would hardly matter: Ambala had held its own against a stronger enemy many times before, they can surely do it again — with or without the Guardians help.

Aedan circled ahead briefly, admiring the view despite its destructive nature. The owls below hardly minded, he had Ambalian markings, after all, so one extra pair of eyes looking out for them was all the better for them.

He hadn't brought any weapons with him, not even battleclaws. It was a reckless move, but he figured since he'd be behind the lines, other soldiers that desperately needed it would be much better off with them than himself. His presence should be enough to scare away any intruder that infiltrates this far inland anyhow since he can always alert others before they get the chance to take him out. While not the best plan, it was relieving in the sense that he wasn't exactly defenseless against a foe.

The trip proceeded on with no additional developments. Aedan inaudibly argued with himself during this time, questioning every aspect of his own beliefs without remorse. His revengeful zeal had brought about a war in which hundreds of owls had likely perished already, but he no longer cared about his friends that were left behind. Aedan felt isolated, detached from it all, it was almost like he wasn't even living.

He believed these periods of depression were caused by the traumatic experience he endured while in combat. Even if he wasn't brutally cutting apart another owl like some of those soldiers in the heat of it, it still just wasn't an environment he could ever get used to.

Maybe Vara was right when she had remarked that she could never see him being a soldier. That could just be her way of saying she didn't believe he was fit for the task, and now her words seem to make an awful lot of sense.

Aedan continued onwards, conceding to the fact that he needed to talk to Vara to put his mind off of the things he had done.

Even if Vara wasn't around to greet him, Aedan would make good use of the free time he had available. He had several ideas in mind, such as visiting the ancient foundations once created by The Others.

Given the fact that the kingdom was at war, such visits would likely be more difficult to justify. If he did wish to explore such structures, secrecy may be needed. But at what risk? He would be better off doing some other form of activity.

It all dawned on him at once, he hadn't even noticed that he was banking right towards the hollow he had stayed in once before. Registering all the information, he made his approach and did one last sweep to ensure he wasn't being followed. Positive he was in the clear, he landed quickly and quickly moved to the hollow entrance.

There, a Barn Owl that had been carefully listening to his every movement put down her guard, and immediately greeted her new arrival.

"Aedan, you scared me to death flying in so suddenly! Is everything alright?"

She immediately drew nearer to him, but Aedan himself didn't know where to start. As the moments passed, she seemed to pick him apart and discern everything that she could notice.

"Good Glaux! You look like you haven't eaten in a day. Are you hungry?"

It was true, he literally hadn't eaten since the first instances of fighting. He was too distraught to notice his own gizzard quivering at the thought. She was certain that he was starving to death, and instantly sought to address that problem.

"Wait here, I'll get you something real quick. Just hold on." She was out of the hollow by the time she had finished her assurance.

Minutes passed, and Aedan took the opportunity to settle down for the time being until she came back. He remained slumped against the wall for a good portion of that time, using those precious moments to think about things he hadn't yet considered. An energizing idea came to mind, one that snapped him out of the trance.

 _I wonder what all these documents contain._ His curiosity spiked immediately, he was already inspecting a piece of paper that was stacked on top of a map. On it, was a label that read: _Ambalian Unit Dispositions_ and below it was a variety of symbols and incomprehensible codewords.

 _Odd,_ Aedan thought, _what good does it do her to know about our troop locations?_

Investigating the materials further, he studied what appeared to be a detailed map of sorts. Upon further inspection, Aedan recognized it to be a detailed map of Ambala, and plotted on it were exact unit positions and sizes as well as additional markings and features. The map was very much authentic, he realized, as he could see his unit and several others plotted at Pelli's Hilltop, meaning that this map had been updated recently.

Aedan suddenly drew very still, something was wrong. There was no way an ordinary owl could get ahold of such sensitive information like this, and even if they did, what for? This information could be damaging if it fell into the wrong talons . . . it may already have.

He was now unsure about what to do. Should he try and destroy the papers? Could she indeed be a slipgizzle consorting with the enemy? Did he help her along in this regard? What else could she be in possession of that he wasn't yet aware of? More importantly, should he just consider leaving at once and warning whoever is relevant?

He wouldn't get much of an opportunity as someone had landed on a branch outside of the hollow. Aedan froze but quickly removed himself away from the items he had observed. He tried to get one last look, but the Barn Owl entering the hollow would keep Aedan from looking into it further.

With a vole in grasp, she tossed it over to Aedan and quipped. "Don't get used to me doing this, consider yourself lucky I was in a good mood tonight."

She nudged the somewhat disconcerted Spotted Owl. Regardless, he didn't complain about the meal being offered to him. Devouring it quickly, he was still concerned about the earlier discoveries he had found. Luckily for him, she didn't take notice of this discomfort, assuming it was caused by the events before their meeting.

Upon finishing the vole, it was Vara that initiated the conversation.

"I've heard about the fighting going on, I had been worried about you ever since." Her concern for him caught Aedan's attention, but given the context, he was already certain she was worried about losing her only main source of information about the conflict.

Almost on cue, she grabbed her quill and a fresh sheet of paper. Her intentions with him were clear, she wanted to know everything that had occurred.

"Your arrival here certainly wasn't by chance, you must be after something, and I'm sure we can make an exchange that will satisfy both of us."

Aedan had remained silent to this point, but now he asked, "And what is it you wish to learn from me?"

"Simple, everything that occurred since the start of the war. Every bit of information you presently know. I wish to collect it for further analysis, it may in turn help unravel what the enemy is up to. Then, once we're done with that, I'd like to ask a view more questions regarding your role during all of this, much like before."

Despite Aedan's newfound skepticism towards her, he still couldn't stop himself from providing his account from start the finish. In every instance he spoke, she was writing down what he had said, or perhaps just a summary of what he had mentioned. Her attention to detail would soon become apparent once Aedan had finished his recollection.

"Well Aedan," she seemed sanguine about her observations, "it appears to me that this 'enemy' of yours had no intentions of attacking you at all until the very moment it was ordered."

Aedan was instantly dumbfounded, "What do you mean they had no intention to attack? They did so without hesitation!"

"The hesitation was certainly there, as you noted from the later arrival of the coal carriers, they hadn't planned out their invasion at all. If they had they had their attack would've been far more coordinated and efficient." She retorted confidently.

She walked over to the side of the hollow Aedan had been investigating. She paused momentarily, before pulling out that very map of Ambala Aedan had observed earlier. Aedan's gizzard twisted at the sight of it.

"Let's consider the following, the enemy wishes to invade Ambala and defeat it. How would you go about doing it? Well, any attacking army knows superior numbers is key for such an invasion, is it not?"

Aedan was silent, but she went on without his response.

"So tell me, if they truly wanted to invade Ambala, why would they attack so uncoordinatedly and indecisively? There are only two explanations for this, either they truly are incompetent at warfare, or they were forced to take immediate action against your forces."

Aedan still didn't understand, "But why? What good does it do for them to start a war with our kingdom?"

She then went around and pulled out another map hidden on the other side of the hollow, this one of Silverveil. Much like the previous one, it had troop positions and sizes. It only made Aedan feel more anxious at the fact that not only did she have his kingdom's troop positions, but Silverveil's as well.

"They seem concerned that Ambala was bound to enter the conflict in Silverveil, so they took action before your kingdom could get the opportunity. Striking hard with what little they had would keep the Ambalians from helping the Silverveilians, thus," she cast aside the map of Silverveil. "One less enemy to worry about."

It now made sense to Aedan, "What you're saying is that this army attacked us just to prevent us from saving Silverveil?" She nodded. "Glaux, but what does this mean for us now?"

"Good question," she returned her focus to the map of Ambala. "It seems to me that in attacking you they lost many of their troops and will be hesitant to do another such attack in the future."

She pointed at the units located near the Tyto border, "Ambala will begin relocating its troops to the front, and will easily gain the numerical advantage if the numbers of enemy troops are assumed correctly."

She paused, before mentioning slowly, "However, with Silverveil out of the picture, for the most part, they will shuffle forces towards Ambala to even the odds. In other words, I expect a stalemate to occur."

A stalemate wasn't exactly what Aedan had wanted to hear. It was a far better outcome than losing, but it also didn't mean they would be winning either. That would mean the two sides would just be killing each other until only one side is left. After killing just one owl, Aedan hardly wanted to kill another. This condition was unacceptable to him and he desired for a way around it. Thus, it only made sense for him to ask the obvious question.

"Is there any way we can regain the initiative?"

"Yes, finding more allies is one way to gain the upper-hand. Though, I don't know if anyone would help right now."

"Ga'Hoole," Aedan repeated, he knew convincing them to fight would be a hard task. "What about the Kingdom of Tyto? They have soldiers don't they?"

She glanced to the side, "They have their own fears at the present moment, they don't trust the Ambalians enough to risk an intervention. But they also have no intention to backstab Ambala, they simply wish to stay out of the conflict right now."

With little to add, Aedan seemed to retreat from the conversation they were having. Vara too seemed to join him in the silence, instead tending to her own notes and overlaying them with the relevant material. This carried on for several minutes before Aedan decided to confront her about it.

"What is it that you are writing?" He asked.

"Anything to help unravel exactly what's going on." She simply said, not exactly answering his question.

"You're still worried about what had happened before all of this?" He asked, somewhat skeptically.

"Yes, I'm actually quite surprised you haven't brought up the group's disappearance." She glanced up at him, "After all, I can't help but think it is awfully relevant to what's going on."

Aedan appeared unconcerned about it, "What good can come out of worrying about them? Their fates are already determined, there's nothing we can do about it now."

While Aedan remained emotionless about what he had just said, he internally expressed some shock about his remarks. Where did that come from? Was he just speaking the truth he had refused to accept? Or had he accepted that fact and just wasn't aware of it?

The statement had caught Vara by surprise, she hadn't yet considered what he said. She shook it off and responded.

"Regardless, I think finding out who did it and why is just as important. Discovering their fates would also put our- . . ." she paused and looked at him somewhat dejectedly. " _M_ _y_ concerns aside. That is why this is important to me."

She went back to her papers, looking for patterns or any clues to help solve the case.

Aedan decided to press her on the matter. "I think there's something more important going on than just these owls that went missing."

She spun her head back towards him, curious to see what he was getting at. "What do you mean by that?"

"We don't even know who is attacking us yet you feel the need to look into trivial matters of little significance in comparison.

She blinked, "Clearly you have forgotten that all of this was started because of that owlnapping. It is far more important than you have realized, there must be a reason why these owls had wanted to take us into their custody. It wasn't something that occurred out of spite or coincidence. Whoever was behind it had an agenda and we both know it — a truly evil and hideous agenda." She sighed and tapped the floor of the hollow with her talons. "If you came here expecting me to answer all of your questions then you are mistaken."

Aedan was clearly disappointed by the fact that she could not provide what he had sought after for so long. Still, he decided that if he couldn't get answers from her, he'd at least try and find another source who would be more capable of providing details.

"So if you don't know what's going on," Aedan began somewhat slowly, "then who can I go to for answers?"

Vara sighed again, she tried to direct her message in such a way it wouldn't confuse Aedan to the point of anger.

"If you want to know the truth, Aedan, no one knows what's going on — except for you..."

Aedan stared at her, trying to register what she was trying to say. "You mean-..." Aedan shook his head, he just couldn't understand what she was getting at.

"You are going to distrust me when I say this, but, I am lead to believe that this army had no intentions to owlnap our group."

Aedan backed away from her slowly, "You're suggesting, one of our kingdoms did it?"

She looked at him momentarily, dread filled her face. "I have reason to believe that . . . certain Guardians at one of the Great Trees Ga'Hoole are behind it. It's the only thing that makes sense right now."

Aedan took another step away from her, "You do realize what you are saying, right?"

She took a step towards him, "Think about it, for the past couple of years these kingdoms have been building weapons and have increasingly grown independent of the Great Trees, it would only be a matter of time — at least to them — that they'd be finally rendered obsolete in their role as Guardians of owlkind. The only thing they'd be protecting when that happens is themselves and that cannot happen. What better way to prove to the world that the Guardians are still needed when a massive war breaks out between the kingdoms and an 'unknown' enemy?"

Aedan felt his tail skim the wall, he had missed the entrance by a good distance. "This is... ridiculous! You don't even know who is attacking us!"

She stopped just in front of him, "Oh, but I do."

She reached over and grabbed a small book that was right beside Aedan.

"It should be obvious by now that these owls are simply those who live outside of the borders, creatures who do not want to live under Guardian rule and would much rather live freely than be forced to obey a set of rules and traditions."

She handed the small book to him, the title was missing. "These owls did not want war, but they are willing to fight just as much as we are."

Aedan refused to take the book she was offering, shaking his head. "I don't believe you, you are trying to intentionally confuse me again."

"I am not trying to do anything of the sort, I am merely stating the facts. If you would just read that book I've just given to you, you would understand."

Aedan just could not accept it, he didn't want to believe that the war they were fighting was not meant to be. "Then explain to me, Vara, why they attacked Silverveil? They clearly planned that one out, we both know many innocent owls died to them."

Vara looked down at her book, "That is what I'm trying to figure out, but given what I have said earlier about Ga'Hoole being behind all of this, they could've been forced to defend themselves and took preemptive action against the Silverveilians before things escalated further. Otherwise, I just don't know, and neither do you — or so I believe."

Aedan cocked his head to the side, was she trying to suggest he was hiding something?

"Whatever may be the case," she continued, "right now there is little reason to be worried. The war will die down before it begins and I'm sure there will be a diplomatic solution to the conflict, or at least, I hope it will end that way."

"Despite what you have just said, I still think the Guardians are needed if we wish to bring about a quick end to this war — whether peacefully or by force."

Vara was suddenly very still, not even her eyes blinked for a good ten seconds. She almost went yeep where she stood, but before she did she screeched in the fashion exclusively made by Barn Owls when they came under distress.

"You can't! It would make the war inevitable!"

"Are you trying to stop me?" He asked, growing more suspicious of her sudden urgency to prevent him from gaining allies for Ambala.

"It would only fuel the conflict further, these owls would never submit to the Guardian demands, doing this would only reinforce their resolve and- and- . . ."

"And what?"

 _"Much worse things will happen."_ She warned almost ominously.

After everything she had said, despite how outlandish it may have seemed, it still forced Aedan to take a brief moment to consider the possibility that what if everything she had said turns out to be true. If Ga'Hoole, or at least, some members of it had secretly decided to fuel a war between the kingdoms to weaken them and strengthen the Guardians' relevance in the Southern Kingdoms after the long period of peace they had achieved. He had to step back and think about the enemy — like that Spotted Owl he killed — about whether or not they truly intended to take over Ambala and its inhabitance. Most of all, he had to decide that he trusted Vara enough to do such a thing, to believe her and not ask for Guardian assistance.

Even if he wanted to believe her, they could not afford to lose out on the opportunity over some far-fetched conspiracy theory. He knew that in the end, it wasn't his decision to make.

He turned and made his way to the exit of the hollow. Vara reached out with her wing to stop him.

"Please, Aedan, I know a lot is on your mind but you must consider the consequences of your actions. This is exactly what _they_ would want."

Aedan didn't care about the possibilities, he had already made up his mind.

"I'm sorry Vara, but don't try to stop me."

She seemed broken by his revelation, forcing her to concede. But not without trying to get something out of it.

"If I let you do it, would you be willing to return here and finish our discussion? There is still much that needs to be sorted out."

Aedan turned his head partially back towards her, and after a brief period of hesitation, he nodded and left once and for all. Bound to the Gateway to Hoole to find the only Guardian that would listen to him, Eglantine.

As he left, Vara glanced down at the book she had tried to give to him earlier. She brought it closer to her and said remorsefully.

 _"I have failed."_


End file.
